Texas Claims Nine Rio Grande Islands Totaling About 66 Acres, From Laredo to McAllen

The State of Texas has declared that nine river islands in the middle of the Rio Grande belong to the state, the Texas General Land Office announced this week, publishing a map dated Tuesday, Oct. 27, that places the islands in South Texas from Laredo to McAllen. The islands total roughly 66 acres, according to the Land Office, which told the Daily Caller News Foundation it has identified the nine islands as property belonging to the State of Texas.

"For years, the ownership of these islands has been uncertain, limiting the ability to ensure they are properly monitored and protected," Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said in the announcement, as reported by Border Report. "Now that the GLO has confirmed these nine islands belong to the State of Texas, we are notifying our law enforcement partners so that they can gain access to these state-owned properties to patrol, inspect and clear them of any illegal activity they may encounter, consistent with the law. Texas land will never become a safe haven for cartels, human traffickers, smugglers, or other criminal organizations." Buckingham told Border Report last month that the Texas Department of Public Safety had asked her office to map the islands' ownership.

The declaration is the latest in a series. In 2023 Buckingham declared Fronton Island, off Starr County, part of the state, and last year her office declared Roma and Bear islands, also in Starr County, part of Texas as well, Border Report reported. State officials say river islands have been used as hiding places and staging ground by smuggling organizations, and some islands the state has previously claimed were cleared of vegetation after the declarations.