DPS and TMD Release Joint Statement on Inaccurate Reports

AUSTIN – The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and Texas Military Department (TMD) are aware of public reports that mischaracterize Beaver Island and Roma Island—two small islands along the Texas-Mexico border—as a “cartel-infested” “smuggler’s paradise,” “plagued by” rampant violence. These reports are inaccurate. Both DPS and TMD maintain operational control throughout the area where these islands are located. The State of Texas will never cede one square inch of its territory or allow terrorist organizations to gain a foothold to operate in the manner suggested by recent statements. 

Governor Greg Abbott signed multiple Executive Orders designating dangerous cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Also under Governor Abbott’s direction, DPS and TMD have carried out operations to clear islands actually “plagued by cartel violence,” like Fronton Island in October 2023. Texas continues to maintain robust law enforcement and intelligence capabilities along the border, working alongside the Trump Administration and U.S. Border Patrol to identify areas of concern and disrupt cartel activity before it proliferates.  

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