Texas begins installing buoy barrier to deter migrants on Rio Grande

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Trucks hauling rows of large, orange-colored buoys arrived Friday at the U.S.-Mexico border, where the state of Texas is set to string them along a section of the Rio Grande as a tactic to deter migrants from crossing illegally into the country.

The Texas Department of Public Safety shared pictures on social media of the new buoy barrier, which showed equipment lifting some parts of it off a flatbed truck. The law enforcement agency noted in its tweet, "The buoys have arrived and the installation of the marine barrier on the Rio Grande begins today."

Last month Gov. Greg Abbott announced the state would soon add a "new, water-based barrier of buoys" when he held an event to sign several other border-related bills into law. Col. Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas DPS, said the deployment of the first 1,000 feet of buoys will start in Maverick County’s Eagle Pass. McCraw added the buoys can be deployed quickly and are movable.

"These buoys will allow us to prevent people from even getting to the border,” Abbott said at the June 8 event.

In another tweet Friday, Abbott shared a video of the buoys and confirmed the installation is indeed happening in Eagle Pass as previously announced.

This new barrier is part of Operation Lone Star, which is the state border security effort the governor launched in 2021.