Texas Governor Greg Abbott is planning to increase the implementation of buoy barriers along the Rio Grande to discourage migrants from unauthorized entry into the United States.
Texas is actively taking measures to address the border crisis and protect its citizens. Despite opposition from the Biden Administration, Texas has been granted the authority to deploy floating marine barriers. The state is currently in the process of installing additional barriers to combat illegal immigration.
It is clear that until the federal government fulfills its responsibility to secure the border, Texas will persist in utilizing all available tools and strategies to respond to this ongoing crisis and safeguard the well-being of its residents.
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) is getting ready for a surge in activity along the southern border, in response to the expected increase in attempts to enter the United States before Donald Trump‘s return to the White House.
Lieutenant Chris Olivarez, spokesperson for the DPS-South Texas, emphasized in a recent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a show of force can effectively discourage the possibility of a mass migration event.
In August, Abbott informed NewsNation that there will be a rise in the number of buoys in the Rio Grande river.
Buoy barriers are floating structures that regulate or limit the movement across a water body, such as a river, lake, or coastal area.
In 2023, they were first deployed as a part of Operation Lone Star, a $11 billion program initiated by Abbott in 2021 to tackle the issue of irregular migration from Mexico into Texas.
Thousands of National Guard soldiers have been deployed to patrol the border, install razor wire fencing, and set up additional barriers in order to discourage unauthorized crossings.
Operation Lone Star, a border security initiative, has invested a significant sum of $1 million in erecting a 1,000-foot barrier along the Rio Grande, near the town of Eagle Pass in Texas. The primary aim of this barrier is to deter and discourage illegal border crossings.
Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, has been engaged in an ongoing dispute with President Joe Biden’s administration regarding the humanitarian repercussions of border enforcement policies in Texas. Abbott has voiced his apprehension over what he perceives as insufficient federal measures to tackle the increasing number of migrant crossings at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In June 2023, the Biden administration filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas for constructing the barrier without obtaining a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In July, a federal appeals court made a ruling allowing the floating barriers in the Rio Grande to remain in place. However, the legal dispute is ongoing, as the Biden administration argues that Texas’ use of buoys has violated the federal Rivers and Harbors Act.