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The buoy barrier in the Rio Grande grows again

David Martin Davies
/
TPR
The buoy barrier in 2023.

The State of Texas stepped up its efforts to harden its border with Mexico. On Wednesday, Operation Lone Star deployed additional buoys in the Rio Grande.

Gov. Greg Abbott doubled the length of border buoys in the Rio Grande by adding another 1,000 feet of the barrier near the city of Eagle Pass. Video of the extension work was shared on social media.

Abbott explained the move to Sean Hannity on Fox News: “We’re not letting up at all. We’re continuing our efforts.”

The initial string of orange ball barriers in the international river had been met with lawsuits from the federal government, and they remain in the courts.

The Biden administration argued Texas did not have the authority to put barriers in a border river because this was federal jurisdiction.

In a setback to the Republican governor, the conservative New-Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals did not agree that migration was an 'invasion.'

Since Election Day, Texas has increased its presence around Eagle Pass in anticipation of a migrant surge before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.

So far there’s been no evidence of that surge.

Abbott also stressed Texas is ready to support Trump’s mass deportation efforts.

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David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi