# Texas Claims Nine Rio Grande Islands, About 66 Acres, So Police Can Patrol Them and Keep Cartels From Using Them as a Safe Haven

Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham says the state's General Land Office confirmed the islands belong to Texas. No cartel activity has been confirmed on these particular islands.

- Section: [Border & Security](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/border-security/)
- Published: 2026-10-28
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/texas-claims-nine-rio-grande-islands-66-acres-buckingham-cartel-safe-haven-daily-caller/

Texas says nine islands in the Rio Grande are state land, and it wants them off the cartels' map, the Daily Caller News Foundation reports.

The claim. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham announced Monday that the state's General Land Office (GLO) identified nine islands along the Texas-Mexico border, about 66 acres in all, as property of the State of Texas. A GLO official confirmed that to the Caller.

Her reasoning. "For years, the ownership of these islands has been uncertain, limiting the ability to ensure they are properly monitored and protected," Buckingham said in a press release. Now that the office has confirmed ownership, she said, it is notifying law enforcement partners so they can reach the islands "to patrol, inspect and clear them of any illegal activity." She added: "Texas land will never become a safe haven for cartels, human traffickers, smugglers, or other criminal organizations." On X she wrote, "We must have operational control of our border."

The mapping angle. Buckingham is working with state and federal law enforcement so officers and agents use accurate coordinates in border operations, NewsNation reported. She told the outlet it takes the islands "off the map" for possible cartel use, and said, "It's kind of making Texas bigger again."

The limits. The Caller says no cartel activity has been confirmed on these specific islands. Buckingham pointed to other cases where cartels have used border islands for transnational organized crime, per NewsNation.

The backdrop. The Caller notes the Rio Grande area is a hotbed of cartel activity and says the U.S. sent 500 troops to the Rio Grande Valley on Oct. 2 after cartel members fired shots at the Coast Guard.

Note for readers: the ownership finding is the GLO's own. The Caller does not report any response from Mexico or from federal agencies.

## Source

Original reporting: [Daily Caller News Foundation](https://dailycaller.com/2026/10/27/texas-claims-rio-grande-islands-cartels-dawn-buckingham)