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Fronton Island

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Uninhabited island in Texas, United States This article is about the island on the Mexico–United States border. For the island off the coast of Peru, see El Frontón.
Fronton Island
EtymologyFronton, Texas
Geography
LocationRio Grande
Coordinates26°24′0″N 99°4′8″W / 26.40000°N 99.06889°W / 26.40000; -99.06889
Area160 acres (65 ha)
Highest elevation177 ft (53.9 m)
Administration
United States
StateTexas
CountyStarr County

Fronton Island (also known as Frontón Island and Isla de San Francisco) is an uninhabited island in the Rio Grande in Starr County, Texas.

Geography

Fronton Island lies between two channels of the Rio Grande immediately downstream of Fronton, Texas, across from Los Guerra in Miguel Alemán Municipality, Tamaulipas. It is located about 12 miles (19 km) downstream of the Falcon Dam and about 2 miles (3.2 km) northwest of Roma, Texas. It measures approximately 160 to 170 acres (65 to 69 ha) in area.

A smaller Fronton Island (Spanish: isla Frontón) is located just upstream on the Mexican side of the border in Miguel Alemán Municipality. The American island is sometimes called Isla de San Francisco, which can also refer to a larger island on the Mexican side downstream of Ciudad Miguel Alemán.

History

Fronton Island was formed between 1852 and 1926 when the Rio Grande cut a new channel to the south, which became the main channel by 1955.

As of 1959, Fronton Island was acknowledged as Mexican territory by both the Mexico and United States sections of the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC), as the channel that formed the island had cut into Mexican territory to the south. In 1976, the IBWC delineated the international border to the south under the terms of the Boundary Treaty of 1970, placing the island under American jurisdiction.

In the 1980s, the island was used by Mexican ranchers for grazing but was claimed by the Cisneros Ranch of Texas. In 1983, armed fugitives from the Miguel Alemán Municipal Jail hid on the island before their capture, taking advantage of its dense foliage.

2023 Texas takeover

During and before 2023, Fronton Island became a hotspot of human trafficking and drug smuggling. On September 7, Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham determined that the land was state property and granted the Texas Ranger Division permission to patrol the island as part of Operation Lone Star. In an interview with Fox News, Commissioner Buckingham characterized this declaration as an addition to the state's land area. Under the direction of Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Ranger Division and Texas Army National Guard occupied Fronton Island on October 2, 2023, and began clearing its vegetation ahead of patrols.

Flora and fauna

Fronton Island's thick bamboo cover is a refuge for several rare bird species. A local botanist raised concern that the Texas Rangers' operation to clear the vegetation would cause the island to erode and wash downstream.

References

  1. ^ Whiteman, Marjorie M. (October 1964). Digest of International Law. Vol. 3. Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office. p. 699.
  2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fronton Island
  3. ^ Ciudad Miguel Alemán (JPEG) (Map). 1:25,000. International Boundary Line in the Rio Grande, Delineated in Accordance With the Treaty of 1970 (in Spanish and English). El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez: International Boundary and Water Commission. 1976. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  4. ^ Fronton / Ciudad Mier (PDF) (Map). 1:25,000. International Boundary Line in the Rio Grande, Delineated in Accordance With the Treaty of 1970 (in Spanish and English). El Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juárez: International Boundary and Water Commission. 2008. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  5. ^ "3 Mexican jail escapees captured". The Monitor. McAllen, Texas. June 12, 1983. p. 1A – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Commissioner Buckingham Takes Steps to Secure Border and Authorizes Texas Law Enforcement Access to Fronton Island on the Rio Grande" (Press release). Austin, Texas: Texas General Land Office. September 7, 2023.
  7. United States Army Corps of Engineers (October 8, 1956). Roma, Texas (JPEG) (Tactical map). 1:62,500. 15 Minute Series. Cartography by Greene, A. K. Denver: United States Geological Survey – via USGS TopoView.
  8. ^ Fieg, Greg (June 10, 1983). "7 prison escapees remain at large". The Monitor. McAllen, Texas. p. 1D – via Newspapers.com.
  9. McAllen, United States, Mexico (Map). 1:25,000. Western United States. Army Map Service. July 1954 – via USGS TopoView.
  10. ^ "Mexican and Texas authorities Thursday shifted their search for…". Washington, D.C.: United Press International. United Press International. June 10, 1983. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  11. ^ Celeste, Lily (October 10, 2023). "DPS preparing to patrol Starr County island as part of Operation Lone Star". KRGV.com. Weslaco, Texas: KRGV-TV. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Staff report (October 2, 2023). "Pelean Rangers de Texas y narcos por isla en medio del Río Bravo" [Texas Rangers and drug traffickers fight on an island in the middle of the Rio Grande]. El Mañana (in Spanish). Nuevo Laredo. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  13. Shaw, Adam (September 7, 2023). "Texas land commissioner authorizes law enforcement to patrol cartel hot spot island in the Rio Grande". Fox News. New York City. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
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