Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Tours Border Infrastructure

On Tuesday, Troy Edgar, the Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, visited the southwest border region near Brownsville, Texas. He was accompanied by Ron Vitiello, the acting deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Edgar later took to social media to discuss the potential benefits of the infrastructure projects funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) for border security.

The tour along the Rio Grande involved inspecting a site recently outfitted with new border surveillance technology and security infrastructure. In a post about his visit, Edgar noted that the ongoing construction of 536 miles of floating seawalls on the Rio Grande is aimed at preventing drug trafficking and illegal crossings, emphasizing, “This is just one of the tools we have to keep dangerous criminals and illegal drugs out of America.”

Edgar shared an image from the tour, showing a series of orange cylindrical buoys installed on the Rio Grande. These buoys are designed to deter illegal entries into the United States. According to reports, the installation of these buoys in Texas began earlier in 2026, with over 15 miles already in place near Brownsville. The remaining buoys will also be deployed along the Rio Grande across various parts of Texas.

The buoy featured in Edgar’s photo differs from another previously installed at Eagle Pass. This current project includes 15-foot long cylindrical buoys, contrasting with the smaller circular buoys deployed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott at Eagle Pass during the Biden administration.

In July 2023, Abbott initiated the installation of buoy barriers in Eagle Pass, which had become a focal point of the Biden border crisis, seeing one of the highest rates of illegal crossings for over a year.

Abbott’s project faced opposition from some open-border activists protesting along the Rio Grande. The Biden administration has filed a lawsuit against Texas’ buoy plan. At one stage, a federal appeals court ordered the removal of the buoy from the Rio Grande, but the ruling was subsequently overturned when a full court voted 10-7 to issue an injunction, allowing the barrier to remain. This was viewed as a win for the Texas governor and facilitated the swift installation of the buoy project funded by Trump’s OBBB.

CBP Acting Deputy Director Vitiello highlighted the latest security improvements in Brownsville, stating on social media, “Illegal border crossings have been reduced by 99% in Brownsville, Texas!”