In a bold statement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has declared that the state will not waver in its commitment to maintaining floating buoys in the Rio Grande, designed to discourage illegal immigration. “The buoys are staying in place,” Abbott affirmed in a recent post on X, previously known as Twitter, which included a GIF showcasing the buoy line, complete with metallic discs.
These floating barriers were introduced in 2023 as part of Operation Lone Star, a comprehensive initiative Abbott launched in 2021 aimed at mitigating irregular migration from Mexico. Under this operation, thousands of National Guard troops have been deployed to patrol the Texas-Mexico border, contributing to the installation of razor wire fencing and other physical barriers to deter unlawful crossings.
However, tensions have escalated as the federal government initiated legal proceedings to have the buoys removed. The government claims these structures infringe upon the Rivers and Harbors Appropriations Act of 1899 by obstructing what it designates as a “navigable water of the United States.” Meanwhile, Texas officials maintain that the Rio Grande does not fit the navigable criteria outlined in federal regulations.
In its legal submissions, the federal government further asserted that the buoys are detrimental to U.S.-Mexico relations and that their installation lacked necessary approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In his X post, Abbott referenced the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals’ decision, which recently upheld the legitimacy of the buoys, stating, “Texas won’t back down.” The court’s ruling reversed a lower court’s order that had mandated the removal of the barriers, much to Texas officials’ relief.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also expressed satisfaction with the decision, asserting, “The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled in Texas’ favor, finding that the federal district court abused its discretion…” He emphasized the importance of the buoys in protecting the state’s borders against illegal immigration.
Furthermore, on the same day, Abbott announced on X that a new surveillance truck had been deployed to assist Operation Lone Star, enhancing border security efforts. He highlighted the capabilities of the Modular Mobile Surveillance System, which is designed for rugged terrains, stating, “Operation Lone Star utilizes every tool and strategy to protect our state and our nation.” This announcement was accompanied by images of surveillance technology mounted on a National Guard pickup, with troops closely monitoring the situation.
In an interview with NewsNation in late August, Abbott asserted that the measures being implemented were yielding positive results. He pointed to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data indicating that suspected illegal migrant encounters in Texas dropped to 104,116 in July 2024, down from 183,479 in the same month last year. Abbott took credit for this decline, noting that his state’s proactive measures played a critical role, while also suggesting that the Biden administration simply benefitted from Texas’s initiatives.
However, there’s some debate about the reasons behind the decrease in border encounters. Some analysts attribute the decline to enhanced enforcement measures from Mexico and changes in federal regulations in June, suggesting a more complex landscape than Abbott’s narrative implies.