Victor Avila
Republican Candidate for Commissioner of the General Land Office
Avila/Photo by Campaign
Question: What is your age?
Answer: 49
Q: What is your educational background? Please list any degrees or certificates earned and any institutions attended.
A: B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Texas, El Paso
Q: What is your occupation?
A: Ret. ICE Special Agent and Author
Q: If you are a business owner, please list the business or businesses that you own. (If this question is not applicable, please note that below.)
A: Not applicable
Q: Please list any civic boards or commissions (non-profit, government, union, political, etc.) on which you have served as a board member or equivalent.
A: The North Texas Crime Commission
Q: Have you previously held or do you currently hold any elected office? If so, what office(s)?
A: No
Q: If your campaign has any online campaign resources where voters can learn more about you, such as social media accounts or a website, please list them below.
A: www.VictorAvilaTX.com, @VictorAvilaTX on Twitter and GETTR, Victor Avila on Facebook
Q: Why did you decide to run for this office in 2022?
A: While serving as an ICE Special Agent, I was ambushed by Cartel criminals, who shot me three times and killed my partner. Since then, I have been fighting to secure the border and protect Texas from the violence on our doorstep. That starts by building the wall on Texas public lands. That should have happened long ago. But, for too long, the General Land Office has served as a political stepping stone, and the needs of Texas have fallen to the wayside. I'm running as a conservative outsider to get our government working for us again.
Q: If elected, what will be your top three priorities in office?
A: First and foremost, I will do my part to secure the border by building the wall on Texas public lands. Second, I will stop the General Land Office from rubber stamping education funding, and begin challenging or defunding any educational institution teaching Critical Race Theory. Finally, I fight back against the Biden Administration's misguided energy policies killing jobs in Texas, raising gas prices, and reducing funding for Texas schools and veterans.
Q: What is an issue you believe has gone overlooked in your race and how will you address it if elected?
A: The General Land Office plays a huge role in managing Texas' response to natural disasters. Others are scared to talk about it because they lack any real experience in crisis or disaster management. As for me, my experience as a Department of Homeland Security Supervisory Special Agent has put me on the ground during some of the worst disasters in recent history, including Hurricane Katrina. I not only have the experience necessary to effectively administer our response, but plan to pro-actively invest in disaster mitigation. These investments are not only important to the lives they save, but actually will save taxpayers several times what they would other spend rebuilding afterwards.
Q: Why are you the best candidate for voters to support for this position?
A: Unlike others, I do not view this office as a political stepping stone. I'm running to actually do this job right, rather than to campaign for higher office. And I am running to put Texans ahead of politics. Unsurprisingly, that makes me the outsider candidate in this race, but I will forever be proud to fight on their behalf. Finally, I am the only candidate in this race capable of providing the battle-tested leadership necessary to protect our communities from the border crisis, natural disasters, and many other threats requiring strong homeland security leadership.