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Calls for secession typically stem from frustration with state politics, and Texas is priming the pump in Southeastern New Mexico.

The Texas House speaker recently directed a state legislative committee to study the feasibility of annexing Eddy, Lea and Roosevelt counties. The action comes on the heels of a now-defunct resolution introduced in this year's New Mexico legislative session. It would allow voters in select New Mexico counties to petition for joining Texas, but an expert on secession said it's unlikely to happen.

"There's nothing in the Constitution to prevent secession of a county or a region to join up with another state," said Benjamin Cohen, a University of California professor emeritus and author of "Dream States: A Lurking Nightmare for World Order" in 2025. "Could it be accomplished? Almost impossible." 

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A U.S. state cannot unilaterally annex part of another state; it requires consent from both state legislatures and approval from Congress.

The New Mexico counties eyed by Texas are adjacent to the Permian Basin, which overlaps both states and is the largest and most prolific oil-and-gas-producing region in the nation. Revenue from the extraction industry can account for up to 50% of New Mexico's annual budget, and the governor's office vowed to keep the state "fully intact."

Cohen noted that large-scale secession movements have occurred previously, most recently in eastern Oregon, where some conservative counties want to join Idaho. In that case, many involved say their politics, culture and values are more aligned with the other state – something Texas lawmakers have pushed during the New Mexico annexation proposal.

Critics say Texas just wants the money produced by New Mexico's oil fields.

Cohen said political divides in America frustrate many, but it would take beyond drastic action to successfully secede or annex New Mexico's three counties.

"If it's an armed rebellion, that's a different story," he said. "But if you try to do it through peaceful mechanisms of government, there are just so many hoops that secessionists would have to go through."

Previous armed rebellions in the United States occurred at the start of the American Revolution and the Civil War.