Boca Chica Beach

Boca Chica Beach is near the border city of Brownsville, Texas. It has gained national attention because of the establishment of Elon Musk’s SpaceX launch platform in the area, a situation that has led to the company’s periodic closure of the beach. The action would seem in direct violation of Texas law, Natural Resources Code Chapter 61: Sec. 61.011, which states that “It is declared and affirmed to be the public policy of this state that the public, individually and collectively, shall have the free and unrestricted right of ingress and egress to and from the state-owned beaches bordering on the seaward shore of the Gulf of Mexico.” 

However, due to the large amount of money Musk has invested in the area, local leadership has been able to allow for this periodic closure through a 2013 House Bill that grants local governments “police power” to close the beach in order to protect people from the possible dangers of rocket launches. 

These closures strike at the heart of the local community, because residents of the Rio Grande Valley have another name for Boca Chica and that is “la playa de la gente” or “the people’s beach,” for unlike the more famous beach destination of South Padre Island (with its paid parking, hotels, bars, restaurants, and condos), Boca Chica is just an open, undeveloped beach. 

In fact, if one were to drive down Brownsville’s Boca Chica Boulevard (Texas State Highway 4), one would see the road end right at the beach. At that point, you would simply turn your vehicle left or right, find an open area, and set up your own little encampment. Families would take their trucks and RVs and sometimes stay overnight because it was both cheaper and offered a stronger sense of community. Since it is less well known, you will undoubtedly run into locals more than tourists. Creating a true sense of ownership of the beach among the people—that it belonged to them, for the use of all at any time. 

This is why SpaceX’s closures are seen by many locals as an affront to “their” beach. Adding salt to the wound is that this is coming from outsiders who have come into their community and are using their wealth and connections to, in a sense, “re-colonize” the land. 

One group with direct experience of colonization in South Texas is the Carrizo/Comecrudo Tribe, whose ancestral lands range from South Texas to northern Mexico. They have joined community members who are challenging the actions of SpaceX and the authorities who have supported the company’s actions. Collectively, they see the launch site as not only denying access to communal land but also harming the environment. 

This coastal border region is home to rich wildlife, from sea turtles to falcons and a myriad of marine life, all of which are placed in danger from debris from exploding rockets —parts of which are found along the coast on both sides of the border—not to mention homeowners in the area who have complained of shattered windows and other property damage from the blast of the rocket engines. One can only imagine the potential for more dangers as these launches continue. 

When one sits on the open beach and stares out at a setting sun, one can imagine it is the same view that people have had for centuries, from the Indigenous Peoples to the residents of Brownsville. It is a place rich in stories, community, and wildlife. For the people who have and continue to enjoy this land, it is worth fighting for.