Texas land commissioner orders halt to federal contractor's border land clearing

In a formal cease-and-desist, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham accused Customs and Border Protection and its contractor Barnard Construction of trespassing on General Land Office land in Presidio County and using heavy machinery to clear vegetation. The letter alleges the contractor entered three parcels that are part of a 10,000-acre lease held by Trans Pecos Ice LLC, damaging the land and reducing its lease value.

Buckingham frames the incident as a breach of Texas’ sovereign rights rather than a border-security issue, emphasizing the importance of the land for the state’s Permanent School Fund. The dispute arises amid broader legal challenges by Presidio city and county over federal plans to install barriers and detection technology along the Rio Grande, which locals fear will cause flooding in the Big Bend region. While the GLO has asked for the land to be returned to its original condition and a reclamation plan, CBP, Barnard and Trans Pecos have not provided comment. The situation remains under investigation.