(The Center Square)–South Texas ranchers and law enforcement battling human trafficking in border communities are expressing concerns about a political candidate and former state lawmaker, Don Huffines, purchasing a known sex trafficker’s New Mexico property during a border crisis without requesting law enforcement look for evidence of criminality. They’re offering recommendations based on their own experiences dealing with human smuggling and sex trafficking on their properties.
The Center Square sent multiple requests to Huffines for comment on what actions he took, including whether he requested law enforcement conduct forensics searches. He did not reply.
Huffines, who is running for Texas comptroller, secretly purchased the ranch in 2023 from the estate of Jeffrey Epstein, convicted of child prostitution and later charged with sex trafficking young girls before his death in jail. The only reason the purchase was made public was because he contested property taxes and a New Mexico newspaper submitted a public information request, The Center Square reported. The newspaper had been covering Epstein’s connections with New Mexican politicians for 20 years. The New Mexico state legislature is convened for a second special session and investigations have been launched into allegations of sex trafficking on the property and surrounding properties.
Unlike Texas, New Mexico didn’t implement border security measures and its governor wouldn’t participate in Texas’ Operation Lone Star. The situation was so bad according to Republican New Mexico lawmakers that they came to Texas to learn what measures they could implement, The Center Square reported. It is unknown how many children were trafficked into New Mexico.
After a Dallas-area social media influencer told Huffines she couldn’t imagine the property being sold without law enforcement searching it, he replied, “That’s my understanding that they had done all the investigation they needed to do on the ranch. I’m sure they did. No law enforcement agency, state local, ever asked to come on the property. I’m going to cooperate if law enforcement asked.”
New Mexico’s former attorney general launched an investigation in 2019, which was halted, The Center Square reported.
Goliad County Sheriff Roy Boyd, who leads an OLS Task Force, has found multiple human smuggling stash houses in his county as have other OLS sheriffs. The properties are considered potential crime scenes until an investigation proves otherwise, several sheriffs told The Center Square.
“Any property Jeffrey Epstein owned is considered a potential crime scene and evidence could still be found today,” Boyd told The Center Square. “Time doesn’t mean anything if you’re getting justice for victims. Justice should be sought for victims and their families.
“If you have a place that has potential human remains it needs to be looked at. That’s exactly why you call law enforcement in – to make sure there is no evidence of any crimes – especially on the scale of child exploitation over decades. The wise thing to do is call law enforcement. That way you are not intentionally disturbing evidence that may bring justice to the victims.”
Susan Kibbe, former executive director of South Texas Property Rights Association, told The Center Square she purchased property she knew was being used by human smugglers to stop it. “The owners didn’t live there and were uninvolved with the property. They weren’t on hand to check things out. The fences were dilapidated. Evidence of smuggling was all around, including trash and backpacks,” she said. “I had law enforcement look at signs of cartel, gang and human smuggling. I did it right away.”
When asked why, she said, “It was important because I felt evil was there. Anywhere where people are being smuggled is evil and the land was violated and polluted.” She used a bulldozer to clear the property and brought a religious leader to bless the land, she said.
She also worked with state lawmakers to safeguard protections for landowners while partnering with law enforcement to pursue criminality. She suggested Huffines, a former state senator, could work with New Mexico lawmakers and law enforcement to implement a similar partnership.
A Val Verde County ranching couple who invited law enforcement onto their properties said doing so was imperative. “Knowing what we know living on the border about the satanic acts committed against children, we want to help law enforcement find any evidence of criminality.” They spoke on condition of anonymity because they are still fearful of cartel coyotes using their land. They said they “wouldn’t buy a property owned by a sex trafficker. But with any property purchase we make where transnational cartels are likely smuggling children, we would make sure everything is cleared by law enforcement prior to stepping foot on it. Sex trafficking is international. Who knows how many children were trafficked across the border into New Mexico and onto the Epstein ranch.”
A Maverick County rancher who also spoke on condition of anonymity for the same reason said Operation Lone Star officers saved his family. “I’ve seen what sex trafficking is. I’ve found so much underwear and clothes under rape trees. I couldn’t count on both hands, both toes all the girls I’ve seen come up here raped and everything else.”
With any property purchase, “the first thing I’d do would be to ensure that law enforcement cleared the property. And if they didn’t, I wouldn’t touch it. I wouldn’t want to be there. That’s bad, bad, bad karma. I couldn’t sleep there. No, not at all, especially having a daughter. I couldn’t live with myself knowing some girl was in a room who’d been raped there. No, sir. But you know, that’s just me.”
