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US News

79% of Texas’ controversial floating border wall is actually in Mexican waters, survey finds

By
Victor Nava
Published Aug. 16, 2023
Updated Aug. 16, 2023, 9:52 p.m. ET

A floating barrier deployed by Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in the Rio Grande to deter illegal border crossings is mostly in Mexican territory, a survey of the controversial migrant deterrent found. 

The results of the topographical survey, conducted by the International Boundary and Water Commission last month and made public in a court filing on Tuesday, determined that 79% of the Texas Department of Public Safety’s buoy barrier lies on the Mexican side of the river. 

Surveyors found that “approximately 208 feet of the buoy line (in the upstream portion of the buoy alignment) are located within the United States, whereas approximately 787 feet of the buoy line (in the downstream portion of the buoy alignment) are located within Mexico,” according to the filing in the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Texas over the barrier.

The first nearly 1,000-foot section of the interconnected, bright orange, 4-foot-wide sphere buoys – that spin when grabbed – were installed near Eagle Pass, Texas, last month. 

Rio Grande floating barrier
The International Boundary and Water Commission determined that 79% of the buoy barrier lies on the Mexican side of the Rio Grande.  UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT, FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, AUSTIN DIVISION

This barrier is part of Operation Lone Star – a state border security effort launched by the governor in 2021.

The water-based barrier, designed by the company Cochrane USA, will cost the state $1 million, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. 

Abbott contends that the massive floating border wall will “defend” the Lone Star State from “the invasion of the Mexican drug cartels and others who have tried to come into our country illegally.” 

Rio Grande floating barrier
Approximately 787 feet of the floating barrier is in Mexican territory, according to the survey. AFP via Getty Images
Rio Grande floating barrier
Both the Justice Department and the Mexican government have demanded that the barrier be removed. AFP via Getty Images

The barrier was installed without permission from the boundary commission and the Justice Department claims it violates federal laws governing navigable waterways and is a humanitarian concern.

The Mexican government has also demanded that the barrier be removed, arguing that it violates international treaties. 

Earlier this month, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador slammed the buoys as “inhumane” after the bodies of two people believed to be trying to illegally enter the US were found in the Rio Grande — one caught in the floating barrier.

Texas authorities claim the individuals drowned before they were even near the barrier.