The Department of Homeland Security has begun installing a sweeping 500?mile network of floating buoy barriers along the U.S.Mexico border, effectively adopting the deterrence strategy first pioneered by Texas Governor Greg Abbott under Operation Lone Star.
According to Breitbart, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks announced on Friday that U.S. Customs and Border Protection has started deploying what will ultimately become 500 miles of floating barriers along the Rio Grande in South Texas. Before taking the helm at Border Patrol, Banks served as Governor Abbotts Border Czar, where he oversaw the state-funded buoy barrier initiative that the Biden administration fought in court even as it demonstrated its effectiveness in deterring illegal crossings in unsecured stretches of the river.
Banks hailed the new federal buoy system as Game Changers! in a social media post, underscoring the scale of what he said would grow into a more than 500?mile floating border barrier. His endorsement reflects a striking shift in Washington, where a border security tool once vilified by the left is now being embraced as a central element of federal enforcement strategy.
The deterrent power of the buoys has been evident to observers on the ground. X.com user Sherry Furr responded to Bankss announcement by writing, No sane person would go near these buoys! and adding, They are formidable! And, No, you cannot swim underneath them!
The current expansion builds on groundwork laid during President Donald Trumps tenure, when, as Breitbart Texass Randy Clark reported, Trump ordered the installation of 17 miles of the buoy system. That initial construction was funded through the FY21 CBP budget, money the Biden administration left idle for years even as the border crisis intensified.
Those early barriers were designed to supplement other security measures financed by Trumps much?debated Big Beautiful Bill, which prioritized physical infrastructure and enforcement over the catch?and?release policies favored by progressives. The pilot buoy project was directed to the Rio Grande Valley Sector near Cameron County, Texas, one of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings and cartel smuggling.
Texas formally entered the buoy fight in June 2023, when Governor Abbott announced plans to install floating barriers as part of Operation Lone Star, Clark reported. The move drew immediate fire from the Biden administration and open?border advocates, who rushed to the courts in an effort to halt construction and preserve the status quo of lax enforcement.
Their legal offensive suffered a major setback in January 2024, when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit overturned a lower?court ruling and allowed Texas to continue building while the Biden administrations lawsuit proceeded. That decision signaled judicial recognition that states facing a federal abdication of duty have a right to protect their citizens and resources from the fallout of unchecked illegal immigration.
The momentum shifted further in July, when the Fifth Circuit, sitting en banc, ruled that Texas could keep the barriers in place and expand the program. Governor Abbott celebrated the ruling on social media, declaring, Biden tried to remove them. I fought to keep them in the water, and vowing, That is exactly where they will stay.
With the Trump administration now moving to deploy more than 500 miles of floating barriers, Texas officials say Washington has finally caught up to what the state proved on its own. Responding to the federal announcement, Abbott press secretary Andrew Mahaleris told the Texas Tribune, Texas finally has a partner in the White House. The floating marine barriers deployed by Texas have been a resounding success, and Governor Abbott is proud to work with the Trump Administration and Border Patrol to expand the program.
During a recent border visit announcing the federal rollout, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem framed the buoys as both a security and humanitarian measure. She said the barriers create a safer environment for agents on patrol, and securing our waterways not only protects Americans, it saves the lives of illegal aliens by deterring them from daring to attempt to cross through this treacherous water.
As installation accelerates in the Rio Grande Valley, the buoy network is emerging as one of the most significant expansions of water?based border security in American history. What began as a limited Texas initiativederided by the prior administration and challenged in court by the lefthas now been elevated into a cornerstone of federal efforts to harden the southern border.
Border Patrol leaders describe the buoys as a force multiplier that allows agents to focus on high?risk threats instead of constant river rescues and mass processing. Texas officials, for their part, view the federal embrace of the system as overdue validation of a conservative, enforcement?first approach that prioritizes sovereignty, rule of law, and the safety of American communities over the demands of open?border activists.
With more than 500 miles planned, DHS officials say the buoy line will operate alongside new infrastructure, surveillance technology, and personnel increases authorized under recent federal legislation. As the Rio Grande becomes the testing ground for the largest floating barrier system ever deployed on the U.S.Mexico border, the central question is no longer whether such deterrents work, but why Washington waited so longand at such great costto follow Texass lead.
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