Floating Barrier on Rio Grande Sparks Humanitarian Concerns, Justice Department Warns Texas

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The Justice Department issued a warning to Texas, stating that a floating barricade made up of wrecking ball-sized buoys installed by the state on the Rio Grande contradicts federal law and poses significant humanitarian issues for migrants entering the U.S. from Mexico.

President Joe Biden’s administration conveyed to Republican Governor Greg Abbott that the barrier erected this month near the border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, was in violation of the law. This information was delivered via a letter dated Thursday and sourced by The Big Big News.

The letter stated, “The floating barrier presents a threat to navigation, public safety within the Rio Grande River, and raises humanitarian concerns.” It also informed Texas that the Justice Department plans to file a lawsuit if the barriers are not promptly removed.

In response, Governor Abbott remained silent on Friday when asked for comments, but declared on Twitter that Texas was functioning within its legal boundaries.

“Texas possesses the sovereign authority to protect our border,” Governor Abbott tweeted.

The barrier of buoys forms part of Abbott’s extensive multibillion-dollar effort to secure the state’s 1,200-mile (1,930-kilometer) border with Mexico. This strategy has also incorporated the use of razor-wire fences and arresting migrants on charges of trespassing. However, the initiative, dubbed Operation Lone Star, recently faced scrutiny following a report from a state trooper claiming that migrants were denied water and instructed to return to the Rio Grande.

The allegations made by the trooper in an email to a superior are currently under internal investigation, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The buoy barrier stretches over 1,000 feet (305 meters) in the middle of the Rio Grande, with its anchors set in the riverbed.

Eagle Pass is located in a Border Patrol sector that has recorded the second-highest number of migrant crossings this fiscal year, with approximately 270,000 encounters. However, this number represents a decrease compared to the same time last year.

The Biden administration stated that unlawful border crossings have seen a significant drop since the implementation of new immigration regulations in May, following the expiration of pandemic-related asylum limitations.

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Lindsay Whitehurst, a reporter for Big Big News based in Washington, contributed to this article.

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More about Texas Floating Barrier

• Justice Department’s official website
• Governor Greg Abbott’s official Twitter
• Information about the Rio Grande
• Overview of Operation Lone Star
• Latest immigration policies in the Biden administration