U.S. Rep. Keith Self thinks a solution should be closer to the problem, so the 3rd District congressman has introduced a bill to relocate the headquarters of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency to Texas.
“Moving our CBP HQ to Texas is a practical step that will allow America’s Border Patrol agents to be on the ground at the critical point of the crisis,” said Self, R-Texas.
The CBP headquarters is presently located in Washington, D.C., approximately 2,000 miles from the southern border.
Moving the headquarters will decentralize Washington bureaucracy, reduce costs to operate the CBP and bring the law enforcement agency closer to the frontline of the crisis, the congressman said.
Self said the bill could be known as the ‘‘U.S. Customs and Border Protection Relocation Act’’ or the ‘‘CBP Relocation Act.”
If approved by Congress, the bill would require the Secretary of Homeland Security, acting through the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to relocate the headquarters no later than Jan. 1, 2026.
“With the longest border with Mexico, Texas faces the most complex challenges of an unsecured border,” Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham said. “Placing the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol Headquarters on the front lines is essential to deploying federal resources effectively and securing our southern border.”
Buckingham said she strongly supports Self and is “committed to providing all necessary support to protect our communities and ensure the safety of Texans and all Americans.”

For more on this story see the January 9, 2025, print or digital edition of the Murphy Monitor. Subscribe today and support local journalism in your community.