Authorizes a land exchange between the Department of Homeland Security and Caza Ranches LLC in Artesia, New Mexico, to expand the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers.
Teresa Leger Fernandez
Representative
NM-3
The "Caza Ranches LLC and Department of Homeland Security Land Exchange Act of 2025" authorizes a land exchange between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Caza Ranches LLC in Artesia, New Mexico, involving approximately 160 acres of Federal land and 160 acres of non-Federal land. The non-Federal land acquired by DHS will be added to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers to support its training mission, while the Federal land will be transferred to Caza Ranches LLC. The costs of the land exchange will be shared equally between the Secretary and Caza Ranches LLC.
DHS Eyes 160-Acre Land Swap with Caza Ranches to Expand New Mexico Training Facility
This bill, the "Caza Ranches LLC and Department of Homeland Security Land Exchange Act of 2025," greenlights a direct land swap down in Artesia, New Mexico. Essentially, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is authorized to trade about 160 acres of federal land for an equally sized 160-acre parcel currently owned by a private company, Caza Ranches LLC. The goal? To give the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC) – the big training hub for various federal agencies located there – more room to grow.
Trading Places: How the Swap Works
Here's the deal laid out in the bill: DHS gets the Caza Ranches land (specifically described as Township 17 South, Range 25 East, Section 4: NW¼, minus some subsurface rights) and, in return, Caza Ranches gets the federal parcel (Township 16 South, Range 25 East, Section 35: S½ S½). The bill explicitly states the land values are considered equal, simplifying the transaction. Before the swap happens, the title for the Caza Ranches land needs to pass muster according to the Attorney General's standards for federal land buys. Both DHS and Caza Ranches will split the costs associated with the exchange right down the middle, and all the final terms must be locked down in a written agreement.
New Land, New Plans for FLETC
Once DHS officially accepts the new land, it becomes part of the FLETC campus. The bill directs FLETC to use this added acreage to build new structures supporting its training mission – think potential new classrooms, simulation areas, or administrative buildings. Correspondingly, the 160 acres given to Caza Ranches will be officially removed from the FLETC's boundaries. While the bill allows for minor tweaks to boundaries or maps if both sides agree, it sets up a pretty straightforward exchange designed to facilitate FLETC's expansion. For the public, maps and related documents detailing the swap are required to be available for inspection at DHS's New Mexico headquarters.