New Mexico Leaders Mock Texas House Speaker Over Push to Annex Counties: 'We're Good'

Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has directed lawmakers to study whether parts of southeastern New Mexico could be annexed into Texas, a move that has drawn swift criticism from New Mexico officials, who dismissed the idea as unrealistic and politically driven.

Burrows, a Republican, ordered a legislative committee on March 26 to examine "the constitutional, statutory, fiscal, and economic implications" of adding "one or more contiguous counties" of New Mexico to Texas. The directive is part of a broader set of interim priorities ahead of the state's next legislative session.

The proposal follows earlier efforts in southeastern New Mexico to explore secession. Lawmakers from Lea County introduced a constitutional amendment back in February that would allow voters in multiple counties to petition for a referendum on leaving the state.

That measure has since been postponed indefinitely, but it helped bring renewed attention to longstanding political and cultural tensions between the region and the Democratic-led government in Santa Fe. Burrows publicly supported that effort at the time, writing on social media that "Texas would gladly welcome Lea County back to Texas, where it rightfully belongs:"

Several New Mexico leaders rejected Burrow's latest proposal. A spokesperson for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said the state has "every intention" of remaining intact and described the plan as "not a serious proposal." while Democratic speaker of New Mexico's house of representatives Javier Martínez also criticized the idea:

"I suggest that Speaker Burrows get offline, touch some grass, and get his own house in order. I am certain Texans would much rather see their elected leaders come up with real solutions to the soaring healthcare, grocery, and energy prices brought on by the reckless actions of ... Trump and his Republican friends in Washington DC. We're good."

The study is centered on counties along the Texas-New Mexico border, where some officials have argued that economic interests, particularly in oil and gas, are more aligned with Texas than with Santa Fe. Supporters of secession have pointed to what they describe as a "cultural disconnect" with state leadership and have argued for greater local control, as The Albuquerque Journal pointed out in February.

Any effort to redraw state boundaries would face significant legal hurdles as changes would require approval from both state legislatures and the U.S. Congress, making the likelihood of annexation uncertain.