Texas claims border islands used by Mexican cartels, asks Trump admin to secure and defend

EXCLUSIVE: They say everything is bigger in Texas, and the Lone Star State itself is growing a bit. 

Texas has claimed two cartel-infested islands along the Rio Grande as part of an ongoing state effort to eliminate safe havens used by Mexican drug organizations. 

In a letter to border czar Tom Homan, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham requested that the Trump administration secure and defend Beaver Island, a 20.3-arce island in Starr County, Texas, and the Roma Islands. 

Both islands have been used by cartels for criminal activity, authorities said. The Roma Islands, which are 12.13 and 20.3 acres respectively, are located near Roma, Texas, and have been called a "smuggler's paradise." 

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