TEXAS GOVERNOR ABBOTT CONSTRUCTING FLOATING BORDER BARRIERS ON RIO GRANDE AS LIBERALS FUME

 

In a move that has drawn the ire of left-wing opposition groups, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday that his state will be moving ahead with its “marine barrier installation” to hinder illegal crossing of the U.S. border with Mexico, as Fox News reports.

The initiative, part of Operation Lone Star, was announced by Abbott last month as a means to thwart migrant crossings at the Rio Grande, and it involves a system of large, orange buoys placed in the water.

Installation commences

As the New York Post explains, the first 1000-foot section of interconnected, spinning buoys were being installed close to Eagle Pass, Texas, a particularly troublesome spot for illegal crossings.

The Texas Department of Public Safety informed the public of the project's start on Friday, saying, “The buoys have arrived, and the installation of the marine barrier on the Rio Grande begins today.”

The Post noted that the buoys spin when grabbed, and the connected sections can be moved and even extended, when deemed necessary.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw has indicated that the barriers, provided by Cochrane USA, come at a cost of roughly $1 million, and installation will take roughly two weeks.

Safety concerns cited

While the desire to prevent illegal migration is certainly a key driver of the project, McCraw noted that another benefit of the installation is that it may keep would-be river crossers from even attempting the dangerous endeavor.

The 328-foot-wide Rio Grande is known for its extreme danger, with alligators and a swift current creating perilous prospects for those trying to cross, with four bodies pulled from the water just last week.

“We don't want anybody to get hurt,” McCraw said.

The public safety director added, “In fact, we want to prevent people from getting hurt, prevent people from drowning.”

Pushback begins

Abbott's initiative has prompted outrage from a number of groups, including those worried about the potential environmental impact of the buoys' presence in the water as well as pro-migrant advocacy organizations, as Fox News noted.

David Donatti, a lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union derided the floating barriers as “the latest in a chain of gifts from the state to private contractors to fuel the governor's manufactured crisis at the border.”

“The floating balls will not address the real and important reasons people are coming to the United States. The buoys are a blight on Texas's moral conscience,” he added.

As The Hill notes, a lawsuit to stop the project has also been filed by businessman Jessie Fuentes, who believes that the buoys are likely to have a negative impact on the ecosystem in the area, and he has already garnered support from progressive environmental groups that gathered to demonstrate on Friday. “I know it's as detriment to the river flow, to the ecology of the river, to the fauna and flora. Every aspect of nature is being affected when you put something that doesn't belong in the river,” Fuentes said.

Broader strategy afoot

When he first announced the Rio Grande buoy strategy, Abbott revealed that it was part of a broader plan to continue addressing what he called “President Biden's refusal to secure the border.”

“Thanks to the leadership and hard work of Director McCraw, [Texas Military Department Major] General [Thomas] Suelzer and their teams, Texas has pushed back against the swell of migrants and held the line to keep people out of Texas – but there's more that needs to be done.”

Abbott said on the day of the buoy announcement that he was signing a package of six bills “to ensure that Texas can do even more to stop illegal immigration at our southern border and provide new tools to the brave men and woman along the southern border to protect Texans and Americans from the chaos and crisis of the border.”

However, with the federal International Boundary and Water Commission pledging to investigate potentially unforeseen complications arising from the buoys regarding “border delineation, flood control, and water distribution, and with litigation and protests already rearing their heads, it could be some time before questions about the viability of at least one part Abbott's larger plan are conclusively answered.

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