The Starbase city commission will consider tax breaks for SpaceX for the project at a public meeting on Dec. 9. The land in question was de-annexed by Brownsville and later annexed by Starbase, the company town that has grown around SpaceX's Starbase launch facility on Boca Chica.

The disclosure has intensified a fight over the project's environmental and economic costs. On Nov. 4, Brownsville commissioners imposed a 90-day moratorium on data centers, a pause that can be extended for another 90 days. At that same meeting, residents pressed the commission over its earlier decision to let the land go.

"The moratorium will not make us forget that you de-annexed 444 acres of land to SpaceX, which is now building a data center," Jacqueline Morales, an attorney in Brownsville, told commissioners. "This community has been sounding the alarm for months, only for this commission to ignore us and pretend like it knows better."

The South Texas Environmental Justice Network organized a protest outside the Cameron County courthouse urging the county to oppose not only the SpaceX project but all data centers in the Rio Grande Valley, arguing they would pollute the air, consume scarce water and drive up residents' energy bills.

Becca Hinojosa of STEJN called on commissioners to scrutinize the project and said Cameron County officials should ask questions as well.

"Do not allow Starbase to become Elon Musk's secret city," Hinojosa said. "SpaceX is actively using land grabs to take a chunk of land on Boca Chica, and they're actively building what looks like a polluting hellscape on our pristine ecosystem."

The project's backstory stretches back to earlier this year, when SpaceX offered Brownsville $220 million to fund water and wastewater projects — on the condition that the city decide quickly, warning the company would go elsewhere otherwise. At the time, SpaceX did not explain why it wanted the land removed from the city limits.

The data center plan also lands amid shifting state politics. After the midterm elections, the future of data centers in Texas has become uncertain: State Sen. Joan Huffman has filed legislation to repeal sales tax exemptions for data centers, and Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa has signaled support for stronger regulations and more protections for residents. Other lawmakers have proposed eliminating additional state and local tax breaks and requiring that all agreements between data centers and municipalities be made public.

For Brownsville and the surrounding Rio Grande Valley, the stakes are both environmental and financial. The region already hosts SpaceX's launch operations, which have brought jobs and attention but also rising housing costs and pressure on local infrastructure. Residents and advocates say they want transparency and a say before tax incentives are granted and construction begins.

Brownsville's moratorium runs for 90 days and can be extended for another 90. The Starbase commission's public hearing on the proposed tax breaks is set for Dec. 9.