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The Texas General Land Office is set to begin surveying land it manages near the U.S./Mexico border. The agency is searching for tunnels used by cartels to sneak under the border wall and into the United States.
According to Texas Land Commissioner Dr. Dawn Buckingham, the effort will use several new assets, including aerial surveillance to locate the tunnels. “There’s some new technology on the horizon,” she said. “We have drones that we man; we also have surveillance from Border Patrol stationed on all of our properties.”
So what are these tunnels used for? They are not simply one of many ways to access the United States—they play a key role in the cartels’ criminal smuggling operations. Buckingham explained: “It’s weapons, drugs, and people to abuse. The awful things that happen to these women and children that the cartels smuggle… In fact, I’ve heard many reports that the cartels make more money off their human trafficking than their drugs.”
Buckingham also pointed out that this is only the latest in a series of anti-cartel efforts from the state of Texas in recent months. She highlighted other actions, saying: “You’ve seen us declare islands in the Rio Grande as Texas. These declarations gave law enforcement the ability to step on the islands and shut down any cartel activities there.”
She added that the office will dedicate any resources and personnel it can to help crack down on the border.