It’s no longer an open question. The buoy barrier that Governor Greg Abbott ordered deployed in the Rio Grande is a hazard. The body of a man who drowned in the Rio Grande was discovered Wednesday in the barrier. Texas officials said the drowning victim may have died upriver and floated into the barrier. Texas built the barrier, along with miles of razor wire, in the river as part of Operation Lone Star.
The buoys are the new centerpiece of Abbott’s efforts to prevent migrants from crossing the river and entering Texas.
Earlier this week David Martin Davies got in a kayak and paddled down the Rio Grande to get an up-close view of the buoys and the people Abbott is trying to shut out.
The Battle of Shelby Park
Operation Lone Star appears to be wearing out its welcome in Eagle Pass. The border town’s city council delivered a setback on Tuesday to Governor Greg Abbott’s border control operation. The council reacted to community complaints that the Texas Department of Public Safety has gotten out of control when it took over a local public park.
Barriers to Entry
President Joe Biden is proposing increased spending to strengthen border security. In his proposed 2024 budget, the president would allocate nearly $25 billion to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. It’s a nearly billion-dollar increase over 2023.
In recent months, Biden has announced new proposals to mitigate and control direct migration to the U.S.-Mexico border, such as a migrant sponsorship program for people coming from Venezuela, Nicaragua, Haiti and Cuba.
Biden is also calling for a new $5 billion contingency fund to help the Department of Homeland Security respond to surges of immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border.
On top of that, Texas is spending billions on its southern border. In the new 2-year budget, Operation Lone Star has over $5 billion to spend.
That’s a lot of money sloshing around for an issue that has mixed results.
The public radio program Marketplace has been looking at this issue in a series of reports exploring he economic costs of having an immigration system that everyone can agree needs major reform.
Elizabeth Trovall is a reporter for Marketplace and is reporting for the series “Barriers to Enrty.”
Health Insurance
The percentage of people without health insurance in Dallas County is larger than in other large counties in Texas. It’s also the largest among the four big DFW counties.
So, why is that? KERA’s Bret Jaspers went looking for answers.
Water
As Texas gets hotter with climate change, water becomes scarcer and more precious. That also makes it more expensive. Many people in North Texas could see a higher water bill soon. The North Texas Municipal Water district is expected to raise costs to meet a growing demand. KERA’s Caroline Love says population growth, climate change and grassy lawns are among the culprits.
