Texas will install a 1,000-foot-tall buoy barrier along the Rio Grande River to deter illegal immigration, Republican Governor Greg Abbott said at a news conference Thursday.
Abbott said a new line of floating buoys will begin “almost immediately” in Eagle Pass, Texas. in the meantime Press conference. Abbott made the announcement while signing a series of border security bills passed by the Texas legislature that will give the state $5.1 billion in funding. (Related: Exclusive: Florida State Releases Video Showing Migrants Signing Waivers To Celebrate California Arrivals: ‘They Treated Us Very Well’)
“What we’re doing now is border, border security,” Abbott said. “What we can do with these buoys is stop people from even reaching the border.”
Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) director Steve McCullough said the border patrol had already considered using a water barrier.
“We don’t want people to continue to put themselves at risk by encountering them as they travel between ports of entry,” McLaw said.
“It’s very difficult to get through these things because of the water and the buoyancy, and it’s very difficult to get over them. Now there are things you can do. I won’t say exactly what to do when, but you can overcome it. There is a way, but it takes a lot of effort and requires specialized skills and equipment to do it,” added McLaw.
Texas already has razor wires in some areas of its land border, and the National Guard is backed by officials in 11 other Republican states.
A modern buoy deployment will cost less than $1 million, McCullough said.
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