Texas is taking its border security fight underground.
In a bold new directive, Texas Land Commissioner Dr. Dawn Buckingham has ordered state officials to begin scanning for cartel tunnels along the Texas-Mexico border using aerial and drone technology. The initiative targets state-managed lands in Hudspeth County and other areas considered high-risk for underground smuggling routes used by Mexican cartels to transport drugs, weapons, and human trafficking victims into the United States.
“Texas stands on the front lines of America’s fight for border security,” Buckingham said in announcing the effort. “The cartels are constantly adapting, moving from the skies and waterways to underground networks of tunnels, and we will not cede an inch of land to these violent illegal criminals.”
The move comes after sophisticated cartel tunnels were discovered in San Diego and El Paso within the past year, featuring wooden braces, ventilation systems, and lighting — a stark reminder of the engineering capabilities of these criminal organizations. In response, the Department of Homeland Security has allocated over $100 million to expand its Persistent Surveillance and Detection System, which will deploy across the Southwest border beginning November 10, 2025.
Underground Threats
Why focus on tunnels now? The Texas General Land Office (GLO) points to evolving cartel tactics that increasingly rely on subterranean routes to evade border security measures. Hudspeth County, located southeast of El Paso, has been identified as particularly vulnerable. In 2023, authorities discovered a smuggler campsite 30 miles north of the border in this county — evidence of the ongoing infiltration challenges facing Texas.
“It’s weapons, drugs, and people to abuse,” Buckingham explained regarding what moves through these tunnels. “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.”
The GLO has instructed its Asset Enhancement Department to identify tracts of state-managed land that could be vulnerable to tunnel activity. Field personnel conducting routine land inspections will now use existing aerial and drone technology to detect possible tunnel entrances or signs of underground activity.
Coordination with Federal Efforts
This isn’t Texas going it alone. The initiative will coordinate with federal agencies including DHS and Customs and Border Protection (CBP), alongside Governor Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star. The collaboration represents a multi-layered approach to border security that spans jurisdictions.
“Together with President Trump’s Administration, DHS, CBP, and Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, Texas will continue to lead the fight against illegal crossings–above ground and below it,” Buckingham noted.
Under President Trump, Mexican cartels have been formally designated as foreign terrorist organizations, granting broader federal authority for law enforcement and intelligence operations against these groups.
Texas Taking Action
The tunnel detection initiative builds on a series of aggressive moves by the GLO to secure the border. In October 2024, Buckingham secured a 1,402-acre ranch along the Rio Grande in Starr County for border wall construction. Within 24 hours, she signed an agreement with the Texas Facilities Commission to begin building, with paneling on 1.5 miles of border wall completed by January 2025.
And there’s precedent for the GLO’s direct intervention. In 2023, Buckingham declared Fronton Island, a 170-acre island in Starr County, as state land. This allowed Texas DPS and the Texas Military Department to clear vegetation through Operation Flat Top, dramatically reducing criminal activity at what had been a border hotspot.
What makes this latest effort different? The focus on underground infrastructure represents an evolution in the cat-and-mouse game between law enforcement and cartels. As above-ground security tightens through border walls and increased patrols, criminals have literally gone underground to maintain their smuggling operations.
For Buckingham, the calculus is simple: “The safety and sovereignty of our state are non-negotiable, and the General Land Office will use every tool at our disposal to keep Texas safe. Texans overwhelmingly expect action–and that’s exactly what they’re getting.”
