Editor’s Note: The Interview took place via Zoom on 1/4/22.
Garrit: Can you introduce yourself?
Victor: My name is Victor Avila. I am a retired ICE Homeland Security Investigations Supervisory Special Agent. I’m a husband and a father of two children. I have a 21-year-old daughter, a 17-year-old son, and a lovely wife of 23 years, Claudia. I have 20 years of public service in law enforcement at different levels. I’ve worked at the county, state, federal, and international level as a US diplomat assigned to Mexico—first in Ciudad Juárez at the US consulate and then at the US Embassy in Mexico. I also served at the US Embassy in Madrid and Portugal.
Garrit: How will those experiences play into your role as Land Commissioner?
Victor: That’s a good question. This experience that I bring is unique. No one that’s running, and we have a lot of very good people running in the Republican primary, really brings the experience that I get regarding the border, international experience, and negotiation experience. As a law enforcement officer, I did arrest many bad people and was able to make our community safer. My subject matter expertise is in human trafficking. So, I rescued many women and children from these horrific conditions. I worked most of my career either on the border or on the other side of the border. So, I bring this unique management perspective from the government’s view of what the government can do. In my career, I did things that no one had done before. That’s what I want to do in this office. I hear that this office is a “rubber stamp” office. It’s a “pass-through” Office. It’s not going to be when I’m there. People will know who the Texas Land Commissioner is, what this office does, and its authority to the state of Texas. I bring many crisis management experiences that no one else gets in this race. I worked on the ground in Hurricane Katrina. In 2005, we had a crisis with Hurricane Katrina, and we’ve seen that in other hurricanes that have affected Texas, so I’ve worked those hurricanes on the ground. As a government official, I know how to manage that crisis in a minimal amount of time. I also bring experience with negotiations with government officials in the private sector. That’s something that I’ve dealt with in my career, especially as a diplomat—with high-level negotiations, bilateral negotiations, international negotiations, and making sure those agreements are beneficial to Texas and the United States. That’s what I bring to this office. I’m going to put Texas first. I’m going to put US citizens first—which I think have been neglected for a long time.
Garrit: Can you talk a bit about what the Land Commissioner does and the importance of the role?
Victor: Absolutely. So, the Land Commissioner has three primary functions. They oversee—this office is funded by our oil and gas investments in Texas—13 million acres of public land in Texas. My first concentration will be that land that is our border. I will do everything and anything that I can in this office to secure the border with either a border wall, barriers, or infrastructure. Many people don’t understand that it’s not just the wall that comes with it or a barrier, but the infrastructure surrounding it. We need roads to be finished so our DPS troopers and Border Patrol will have access to these areas where they have none right now. So, I will be looking at that very closely. I want to put barriers up in these vulnerable areas where the actual traffic is coming in. I will also be working very closely with the private landowners and ranchers who have their land adjacent to our public lands. I’ve already done that as a private citizen. I’ve already talked to them, and they want to help. Some want to donate their land, and some want to lease it. So, I will bring my experience in negotiating what’s best for Texas and the landowner to secure the border. Another thing that this office does is the funding that they receive is channeled to our public education system. I will oversee that money very closely. I’m very much against critical race theory being taught in our schools, and I want to challenge that funding that goes to these independent school districts and public-school systems that want to indoctrinate our kids. I want to make sure that I question that, and I want to see the full extent of the authority of this office to see what can be done. If you’re going to continue to teach this at your school district, I’m going to make sure that we might not send the total funding to your school system. I will challenge that. The Land Commissioner will no longer be a “pass-through” Office. Another significant thing that this office does is oversee veteran benefits at the state level. I’ve already been in contact with many of our veterans that require a lot of help, and I will put them first. They need as much attention as possible. One of the issues that I will bring up is to build state-sponsored cemeteries in rural parts of Texas, where we don’t have anywhere to bury our veterans. I want to see closely that we’re maximizing the funds to help our veterans at the best level possible.
Garrit: Yeah, as you mentioned earlier, the Republican Primary for Land Commission is very crowded. In the race, you have State Senator Dawn Buckingham—who is endorsed by President Trump. So, how do you convince Republicans to vote for you, and why should voters support you in the primary?
Victor: Well, I’m a political outsider just like President Trump—that’s what I bring. She (Buckingham) got this endorsement, and it’s good for her that she got that, but I’ll remind people where President Trump was before—an outsider. That is what I am. I’m a real person for a change. I think Texans are tired of the layering of these politicians and the recycling of these politicians from one office to the other. They want to jump from state senator to Land Commissioner to be governor possibly. I don’t know their intentions, but my intention of being Land Commissioner is to be just that. I plan to use the power of this office to secure Texas and save Texas. I’ve talked to many people outside of the state of Texas, and they’re very concerned with this race because they know that what we do here is going to affect the rest of the country. So, I bring this unique outside experience. I’m a conservative, and people might challenge that. People ask me, “Victor, when did you become a conservative?” The first time I was asked this, I laughed a little bit because I didn’t know how to be anything else. My parents are the most conservative people I know. That’s the way I was born and raised. I bring those conservative strong values to this office. I bring integrity, which I’m very proud of and battle-tested. I’ve been through a lot in my career. I was almost killed in the line of duty. So, I’m not afraid to challenge our elected officials. I will challenge the other offices that will work closely with this office to get things done for Texas.
Garrit: Moving on to border security. I hear a lot from some Republicans, especially those in the Abbott camp, that Texas doesn’t have the authority to secure the border. “It’s a federal border.” “It’s federal land, and Texas can’t do anything.” So, do you think Texas has the authority to defend its border with Mexico?
Victor: Absolutely, it does. I’ve heard that argument many times—not just from our governor but also from other Republican elected officials. Listen, we know that the Biden administration has failed. It’s failed at border security completely, and we’re not going to rely on them. We’re not going to be asking them anymore. We’re going to take matters into our own hands. Texas must do that. Do we have the right to do it? Yes, we do. Remember, we’re a sovereign state, and we can adapt our constitution to defend our state. We face an invasion, and I’m not just talking about the illegal aliens coming into this country. I’m talking about the national security and public safety issue we’re facing at our border right now. It’s vital that the state steps up and does something. Can the state of Texas do it? Absolutely. Does it have the right to do it? Yes, it can. There’s already part of a state wall being built. My first question was, “why wasn’t it built six or eight years ago?” Why is it starting to be built right before a primary? We must secure our border now. I differ on where that wall is being built. I’m okay with the one that’s there right now, but I bring experience to where we need to put it in the most vulnerable areas. I will explore all avenues to make sure that we secure that border.
Garrit: Yeah. The border wall construction just started right around this primary season, and it’s been talked about for a long time. Not much progress has been made on it. So, do you think that you can build the wall, and, if so, how do you plan on going about doing that?
Victor: So, I’ll tell you, the last time that I was at the border, I visited the site where all the planks of the wall are there that we already paid for. They have been paid for through the federal government and our taxpayer money. There are thousands and thousands of wall planks ready to be put up. I hear talk that Texas wants to buy it from the federal government. I’m thinking, “why should we pay twice for this equipment that has already been paid for.” If I have to go to Washington, DC, and talk to them, or if I have to speak to other officials in the state of Texas, then I will do it. I bring a thinking outside the box attitude. I will do things that have never been done before because I did them in my career. I did things in my career where people said, “Victor, this can’t be done.” Well, two very different things in my book were done and never have been done. I’m not afraid. I will approach the federal government and say,” we will take those planks and they will give them to the state of Texas.” Those planks are just rotting away in the sun. It’s not just the plants but its equipment. We must take that equipment, and we must use it. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel. It’s already been paid for. If there’s a negotiation to be made, I’m more willing to do that. I bring that experience, and I will do that.
Garrit: Are there any other things that the state can do, besides building the border wall, to secure the border?
Victor: Oh, my goodness. How about contacting Mexico? No one seems to engage Mexico. Whether you like it or not, we must engage our neighbors. It’s not an ocean next door—it’s a sovereign country. They’re a significant trade partner that we have, and we can’t ignore that we have a border system. So, we must engage Mexico. I will encourage our governor, whoever that will be at that time, to have that conversation. I will accompany the governor and encourage them to discuss with the government of Mexico—whether it’s the president or the governors of the states that touch our border. We must engage them. We must let them know and bring them into a partnership. Without them, it cannot be done. A lot of the policies that need to be implemented require the help of the Mexican government to do it. I saw this done in the Trump administration. The engagement of Mexico is crucial. Sometimes that engagement might mean to place some kind of issues with distribution, bringing in of the cargo, and maybe limiting trade. Still, we have to get Mexico’s attention and let them know that whatever they do in Mexico is affecting us and whatever we do here is affecting them. Let’s work together to solve this issue finally.
Garrit: You also talked about protecting the Alamo on your website. I know monument protection was a big issue in this past legislative session. I don’t believe anything got done, but how do you plan to protect our monuments in the state?
Victor: It’s straightforward. I bring conviction and integrity. With my experience and my background, you had to make a decision. Sometimes I’m there to make the hard, right decision instead of the easy, wrong one. That’s what I think a lot of our elected officials lack. They want to make the popular decision, which sometimes is the wrong one. I’m ready to make the right decision for Texas. It might be hard to make that decision, but I will make it. It’s as simple as that. I’m not going to move any monuments. I’m not going to satisfy the left because they want to destroy our monuments or undo our history. I will stand up and defend Texas. I will defend the Alamo and other precious lands around Texas. Also, remember negotiating with the cities. In this case, the land with the city of San Antonio. There was a big mess up with doing that and with how you were going to deal with that and how much you’re going to give and how much you’re going to take and all that. I bring that forward, always, by putting our voters and our citizens first.
Garrit: Moving on to energy. You talked a little bit earlier about the importance of oil and gas of the Office of Land Commissioner. As we’ve seen from the Biden administration, they are fundamentally opposed to the oil and gas industry. So, how will you use the office of the Land Commissioner to protect the oil and gas industry here in Texas?
Victor: Well, our oil and gas industries are pivotal to our state with 100s of 1000s of jobs that it creates in our state. I want to continue to keep that going. I will fight the Biden administration in their attempts to stop our production. Along those lines of the land we oversee, I won’t sell this public land to China. For example, we have sold 140,000 acres to China in Del Rio, Texas, next to Laughlin Air Force Base. That is a national security issue because I know the threat that we face with China. On top of that, China is in Mexico working with the cartels in bringing all of these drugs, the fentanyl and the methamphetamines, to us. They are the ones that provide the precursors and chemicals to these organizations. So, all of that goes hand in hand with our oil production because China wants to tap into that. I want to make sure that we protect the national security interest of Texas, and that starts with our oil and gas.
Garrit: I’m not sure if the Land Commissioner has any authority over the electrical grid, but the electrical grid was also a big issue, especially last year with the winter storm, and there was some call for getting rid of our electrical grid entirely and going over to the two other types of electrical grids in the United States. What are your thoughts on that?
Victor: I think it’s leadership. That’s a word that I don’t use lightly. A leader is unafraid to step up and say what needs to be said sometimes at the moment when people do not expect it. I’m ready to do that. When it comes to the grid, whatever the Land Commissioner can do, maybe regarding the land that wants to be sold to place some of these grids on, I will be very much in tune with what’s going on and how much that benefits Texas. I’m going to base my decisions on whether they will benefit Texas or not. Will this benefit the citizens of Texas? Do the citizens of Texans want that or not? Because I’m very in tune with communicating with the citizens and talking to the community, the business owners, and the people affected by these types of decisions. I will go out there, be involved with the community, and get firsthand information from them. I’m not going to rely on a special interest to give me the information. I will rely on the people.
Garrit: What do you think should be the energy strategy of the state of Texas?
Victor: We could almost be energy independent on our own. I value that, and I want to continue to drill. I want to continue producing our oil because all of this money is funding a lot of these issues that we talked about—our school system, our veterans’ benefits, and the land around our border. I want to use some of this money to secure our border. All of that is a cycle of production. That’s good production that will be maximized. I’m a fiscally responsible person, and I will see that the money is being well spent to maximize our security. First and foremost, I think the most critical part of any elected official, at any level, is that you have to keep the interest and safety of the public at hand. We’re seeing that being deteriorated. We’re seeing a crime surge in our state—not just in our own country. Look at Austin, Texas, with a record of homicides in 2021. It’s happening here in our state. I live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and it’s out of control with many crimes that we are not used to seeing. All of that is attributed to what this office generates with our oil and gas, and I want to make sure that this money is spent correctly.
Garrit: You spoke earlier about critical race theory and how you could withhold funding to schools as Land Commissioner. Could you also do that with mask and vaccine mandates?
Victor: Well, I entirely oppose any mandate. I will voice that opinion whether this office has the authority to do that or not. I’m not afraid to voice where I stand on those options. Going back to critical race theory, I bring local experience fighting that. I fought CRT in Southlake, Texas, three years ago. The Left tried here in our Carroll Independent School District to indoctrinate our schools with this program called the “critical action plan.” I was part of the district Diversity Council that was creating this program. I was selected for different reasons, but they didn’t realize the conservative viewpoint that I brought. So, I was one of the first to challenge and speak up about what was happening here in Southlake, Texas. Many people know what we did in Southlake. With the community’s help, we started electing conservative school board members—now three and more of this coming May. We made national and international news on what we did in our city. I want to continue to support that. That’s why I’m completely opposed to these policies that teach our kids things that are not being taught in our own homes. As a conservative, I leave that up to the parents to teach their kids about that. I don’t need the school systems teaching my kids about racism, skin color, or reading a book that contains pornography at the age of five. So, I will fight that.
Garrit: You spoke earlier about the governor’s race, and that’s shaping up to be a pretty contentious primary. So, I was wondering if you have any thoughts on that race?
Victor: Well, you’re right. It is a contentious race, but the reason it’s contentious is because I think people are requesting their elected officials to represent them. When these officials get into office, they don’t listen to the citizens of Texas. In Austin, we control every facet of the government. We hold the House, the Senate, and the governor’s mansion, yet we’re unable to pass a conservative agenda right across the board. We have to be satisfied with 2 out of 12 of the agenda we had scheduled for the original session. We’re now looking at possibly a fourth session, and I will be in Austin on February 5th, asking Governor Abbott to force a special session. I go back to two fundamentals: listen to the citizens and do what they want. If some of these things require a vote, let’s put it up for a vote. Going back to where the representative represents the people—what a concept where an actual elected official goes back, governs, and runs the office based on what the citizens who put them there want. I think we’ve gotten away from that in the last decade. I will bring that back. I will listen to the citizens and act appropriately on it.
Garrit: Do you have anything else to say as we end the interview
Victor: Well, I want the voter to get to know me. They could visit my website at victoravilatx.com. I welcome their support. I have been battle-tested like no one else that’s running. I will get done what we need to get done in all aspects of the Texas Land Commission and the General Land Office. I think this office can do a lot more than it’s been used for in many years. Many of these elected officials talked about using this office as a springboard. I’m not using it for that. I want to use it to secure Texas and save Texas and the rest of the country.
Editor’s Note: Check out Victor Avila’s website at victoravilatx.com.
