(Headline USA) Texas began rolling out what is set to become a new floating barrier on the Rio Grande on Friday in the latest development of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s multi billion-dollar effort to secure the U.S. border with Mexico.
Abbot has also bussed illegals to blue states and allowed the National Guard to make arrests in his heroic effort to stop the waves of illegals invading America.
But even before the huge orange buoys were unloaded from the trailers that hauled them to the border city of Eagle Pass, there were concerns over this part of Abbott’s unprecedented effort to save America. Advocates for the safety of illegal immigrants voiced concerns about drowning risks.
Dozens of the massive spherical buoys were stacked on the beds of four tractor trailers in a grassy city park near the river on Friday morning.
Setting up the barriers could take up to two weeks, according to Lt. Chris Olivarez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, which is overseeing the project.
Once installed, the above-river parts of the system and the webbing they’re connected with will cover 1,000 feet of the middle of the Rio Grande, with anchors in the riverbed.
Eagle Pass is part of a Border Patrol sector that has seen the second highest number of migrant crossings this fiscal year with about 270,000 encounters — though that is lower than it was at this time last year.
The flood of illegals increased in May after the Biden administration stopped implementing Title 42, a pandemic era public health policy that sent illegal immigrants back to Mexico. New rules allowed people to seek asylum through a government application and set up appointments at the ports of entry, though the maximum allowed in per day is set at 1,450. The Texas governor’s policies target the many who, unwilling to wait to enter, cross through the river.
Earlier iterations of Abbott’s border mission have included installing miles of razor wire at popular crossing points on the river and creating state checkpoints beyond federal stops to inspect incoming commercial traffic.
“We always look to employ whatever strategies will be effective in securing the border,” Abbott said in a June 8 press conference to introduce the buoy strategy.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw addressed the danger that migrants may face when the buoys are deployed during the June press conference when Abbott spoke: “Anytime they get in that water, it’s a risk to the migrants. This is the deterrent from even coming in the water.”
Adapted from reporting by the Associated Press
