Mexico is challenging a Texas determination that nine islands in the Rio Grande belong to the state. In an Oct. 30 statement, Mexico's Foreign Affairs Ministry said the border cannot be changed by a state government decision and cited the 1970 Boundary Treaty. The ministry said the International Boundary and Water Commission must decide which side of the border each island is on.
The Texas General Land Office announced Oct. 26 that the nine islands, totaling about 66 acres, are state property. They lie between Laredo and McAllen. Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said the agency reviewed historical records, surveys and other information. Buckingham said U.S. Customs and Border Protection asked the agency to review 28 islands, and that the others did not qualify as Texas land.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum commented on Nov. 3. She said the islands should be measured and located by the commission, and she said she believed the Texas announcement was politically motivated ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. Buckingham said no criminal activity has been noticed on the nine islands, and that state law enforcement is expected to access them soon. She pointed to Fronton Island, a 171-acre island Texas declared state land in 2023.