Exclusive: South Texas ranchers question Epstein ranch purchase during border crisis

(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 a...