According to the International Boundary and Water Commission, the Starr County island, which is administered by the state of Texas, is actually federal land.
Fronton Island, located in the middle of the Rio Grande near the city of Rome, has been patrolled by the Texas Department of Public Safety and National Guard since October 2023 as part of Operation Lone Star.
Texas General Land Office officials previously said the 170-acre property was frequently used by cartels for smuggling.
Since the state took ownership of the land, IBWC said it has been researching historical land records to figure out who can lay claim to the island.
Previous story: State leaders discuss progress since occupation of Fronton Island
On April 30, the federal agency sent a 19-page letter asserting that Fronton Island is federal land.
Read the full letter here
“We maintain that Fronton Island is federal land and falls under the jurisdiction of the USIBWC,” agency spokesman Frank Fisher said in an email to Channel 5 News on Friday. “We have asked the state of Texas to provide documentation within 30 days to support its position that the land is owned by the state.”
According to the letter, since the state claimed ownership of the island, the land has been cleared to make way for concertina fences and bridges without consulting IBWC, which has changed the Rio Grande floodplain. It is said that the work was carried out several times.
“This could be particularly harmful in flood situations that could promote unexpected flooding in Mexico and surrounding areas,” the letter states.
Channel 5 News has reached out to the Texas General Land Office for comment. We will update this story once we receive a response.
