Texas Will Block Migrants In Rio Grande Using Wall Of Buoys, Gov. Abbott Says

Forbes Business Breaking Texas Will Block Migrants In Rio Grande Using Wall Of Buoys, Gov. Abbott Says Molly Bohannon Forbes Staff I cover breaking news. Following Jun 8, 2023, 06:51pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Texas Gov.

Greg Abbott (R) announced Thursday that the state will deploy 1,000 feet of buoys in the Rio Grande River along Texas’ southern border as a way to deter migrants from crossing illegally, as Abbott and other Republican officials criticize the Biden Administration’s handling of immigration issues. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced in a press conference Thursday that the state will deploy 1,000 .

. . [+] feet of buoys in the Rio Grande River along Texas’ southern border as a way to deter migrants from crossing illegally.

(Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) Getty Images Key Facts The first 1,000 feet of buoys will be deployed near the border city Eagle Pass, Texas, because of an uptick in illegal crossings in the Maverick County area, director of the state’s Department of Public Safety Steve McCraw said at a press conference, adding that the buoys can be moved as needed. The cost of the initial test will be “under $1 million,” the Dallas Morning News reported , and Abbott said if they are successful in deterring migrants they can “put mile after mile after mile of these buoys” in areas where crossings are expected. The Texas Legislature recently appropriated $5.

1 million to secure the border, Abbott said Thursday, and the buoy project is a combined effort by the Department of Public Safety and the National Guard. Each buoy is about four feet in diameter and looks like a large, orange ball, based on mock-up photos shown by Abbott at the press conference; in the mock-ups, the buoys are in the center of the river forming a type of wall. Tangent Abbott announced the plan at a press conference where he also signed six bills that he said are designed to “to protect Texans from the record level of illegal immigration, weapons, and deadly drugs” coming into Texas.

The legislation ranges from bills increasing the power federal agents have to search migrants suspected of committing crimes to providing compensation to farmers whose land is damaged by people crossing the border. Key Background Abbott’s team hasn’t attempted using buoys to prevent illegal border crossings before, though he did order the Department of Public Safety to form a boat blockade on the Rio Grande in 2021. The Rio Grande can be high flowing and fast, making it dangerous for migrant families to cross and border security to guard.

Last year, a Texas National Guard soldier drowned while attempting to rescue migrants in the river while assigned to Operation Lone Star, Abbott’s border security initiative, the Texas Tribune reported . Texas officials also placed shipping containers alongside a short stretch of the Rio Grande to block off crossings in 2021. Abbott has long said that President Joe Biden has not done enough to secure the border, arguing the record surge in border arrests over the last two years has impacted his state.

Recently, Abbott sent a letter to all other governors asking for help handling the crisis through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which allows states to provide assistance in response to an emergency, according to his office . Contra The Biden Administration has blamed the influx of migration on factors like poverty and violence in Central America, and have defended their efforts to prevent illegal crossings. Abbott and other GOP officials have warned crossings could surge again after Biden ended Title 42—a pandemic-era policy that let U.

S. officials rapidly turn away migrants—last month, though federal officials say arrests have actually declined as Title 42 was replaced by tight asylum restrictions. What To Watch For The announcement comes as the Texas Legislature is in a special session addressing Abbott’s request for legislation that would increase the penalties for human smuggling.

The Texas Tribune reported that lawmakers haven’t yet reached a compromise on Abbott’s call for property tax relief—the other topic of the session—nor the human smuggling item. Further Reading Texas to deploy buoys to deter Rio Grande crossings, Abbott announces (Texas Tribune) Gov. Greg Abbott Announces Texas Will Secure Its Border With Buoys (HuffPost) Governor Abbott Signs Sweeping Package Of Border Security Legislation (Governor’s Office) Texas to deploy long string of buoys in middle of Rio Grande in new bid to deter migrants ( Dallas Morning News ) Follow me on Twitter .

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