Mexico has lodged a formal complaint with the U.S. government, asserting that Texas' deployment of floating barriers along the Rio Grande may violate treaties on boundaries and water, according to Foreign Relations Secretary Alicia Brcena.
Brcena stated that Mexico will dispatch an inspection team to the Rio Grande to determine if any part of the barrier, which was erected to deter illegal migration, encroaches on Mexico's side of the border river.
The installation of barbed wire on an island in the river near Eagle Pass, Texas, was also criticized by Brcena. Photos of the inflatable barriers reveal a series of interconnected inflatable spheres that rotate when someone attempts to climb them.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott's office released a statement indicating that the inflatable barrier will proactively impede illegal crossings between ports of entry by making it more challenging to cross the Rio Grande and reach the Texas side of the southern border. Governor Abbott expressed gratitude for the efforts of Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, Major General Thomas Suelzer, and their teams in pushing back against the influx of migrants. However, he emphasized that more action is necessary to address President Biden's escalating border crisis. The Texas Legislature has allocated $5.1 billion for border security to ensure a robust response.
In June, Governor Abbott signed a package of six border security bills aimed at fortifying the state's defenses against the rising tide of illegal migrants, weapons, and dangerous drugs flowing into Texas from Mexico.
The bills grant the Texas military the authority to employ unmanned aircraft in search and rescue operations, authorize U.S. Border Patrol agents who have completed Texas DPS training to make arrests, conduct searches, and seize items at established border checkpoints, and provide compensation to landowners for property damage resulting from illegal migration activities.
It is worth noting that concerns have been raised by migrant advocates regarding the potential drowning risks posed by the buoys used in the floating barriers. Environmentalists have also questioned the impact of these barriers on the river.
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