COMMISSIONER DAWN BUCKINGHAM: Texas Leads Charge Against Cartel Tunnel Threats

Texas stands as the first line of defense for America’s sovereignty, security, and safety. Thanks to President Donald Trump’s steel resolve, cartels are now up against the most secure border in the history of this country. With a locked-down border, they are evolving their tactics, and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) is once again stepping up to meet this challenge head-on.

As Texas’ Land Commissioner, I steward more than 13 million acres of land, and I am making sure Texas remains one step ahead of the cartel’s plans. That is why I have directed our Asset Enhancement Department to survey GLO-managed border lands, especially in Hudspeth County and other high-risk border regions, for any signs of cartel tunneling. (RELATED: Chip Roy Unveils Plan To Fix America’s Legal Immigration Revolving Door)

Ensuring that violent criminals do not enter unseen through underground tunnels is the next step towards protecting American citizens. Reports now show that the cartels are adapting and entering our land through underground tunnels to continue their campaigns of terror, violence, and drug trafficking.

According to news reports, cartels have shifted their business model to underground illicit drug trafficking, as U.S. Border Patrol is seizing large quantities of drugs above ground.

These terrorist groups rake in $150 billion a year from the drug trade alone, making them one of the most lucrative criminal enterprises in the world. With their profits being threatened, they are adapting, finding ingenious ways of entering our country to maximize revenue.

As the fentanyl crisis continues, over 150 Americans are poisoned by the cartels and die due to synthetic opioid overdoses every day. Texas law enforcement has even seized enough fentanyl to kill every man, woman, and child in the U.S. and Mexico.

Within the last year, sophisticated cartel tunnels, used to transport lethal drugs, dangerous weapons, and human trafficking victims, have been discovered in El Paso, Texas and San Diego, Calif.. These shocking discoveries are why the Trump Administration is rightfully declaring war on the cartels and has designated them foreign terrorist organizations.

Recently, the Department of Homeland Security has dedicated more than $100 million to expand its Persistent Surveillance and Detection system—technology that monitors underground activity.

To aid in the search efforts, GLO is directing our field personnel to use drones and aerial imaging to detect potential tunnel entrances on state-managed land, in coordination with our federal partners at Customs and Border Protection.

Shutting down cartel activity isn’t new to the GLO. In 2023, I declared Fronton Island in Starr County as state land, which cleared the way for DPS and the Texas Military Department to reclaim the 170-acre island for Texas. The cartels were eliminated, and crime was completely rooted out.

Then, in 2024, we took another bold step. The GLO acquired a 1402-acre ranch along the Rio Grande – land that became the site of the Texas border wall. Within a single day of the purchase, we signed an agreement authorizing construction. Within months, steel panels rose from the ground, standing as a monument to Texas’ resolve.

The United States will not always have a Republican president who fights to ensure illegal criminals are kept off our soil, which is why the GLO is hard at work to ensure border security is here to stay in Texas.

The Lone Star State will continue to do whatever it takes to protect our people. We will locate and shut down every trafficking route for good. Whether above ground or below it, every tool at our disposal will be used to ensure that no cartel, trafficker, or terrorist can threaten Texas families.

Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham, M.D., brings a lifetime of experience to the Texas General Land Office (GLO). In 2016, she became the first Republican elected to the Texas State Senate from Travis County and the first woman to represent Texas Senate District 24. She later made history again in 2022, winning a statewide election to become the state’s first female Land Commissioner.

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