Construction crews in Eagle Pass, Texas, started building a brand new, historic floating border barrier near the area on Monday. The ultimate goal of the new project is to provide a strong deterrent for individuals contemplating crossing the border illegally in high-traffic areas along the Rio Grande. This is largely due to the fact that so many immigrants have died attempting to cross the river, making it a serious safety hazard to those trying to gain access to the United States.

According to a report from the folks at Breitbart News, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez posted a tweet containing several videos showing the construction crews starting on the installation of a series of buoys. The buoys are being put in place on the order of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, and the Texas Legislature approved the funding for the project.
Along with the influx of thousands upon thousands of migrants crossing the area, Olivarez stated that these new barriers will also help save the lives of many individuals attempting to cross the dangerous river to reach American soil.

The State of #Texas is taking historic action under Gov. @GregAbbott_TX’s Operation Lone Star to secure the border. Installation of the marine barrier began today in #EaglePass. The marine barrier will deter unlawful crossings & human smuggling, & prevent the loss of life due to… pic.twitter.com/4PYy25RDFr

— Chris Olivarez (@LtChrisOlivarez) July 10, 2023

While the heat of a typical Texas summer is scorching, that has not seemed to deter migrants from continuing to attempt to cross from Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, into the Eagle Pass area.

However, not everyone is thrilled by the action that Gov. Abbott is taking to try to get a handle on the out-of-control border crisis raging along the state’s boundaries.
“What Abbott is doing is conducting an irresponsible experiment at the expense of federal and international law,” Steven Mumme, a scholar at the Baker Institute Center for the United States and Mexico that specializes in transboundary environmental and natural resources management along the U.S.-Mexico border, went on to say about the new buoys being constructed.

According to the Texas Standard, Mumme then stated that the new floating barriers would alter the flow of the river, which is illegal, and would ultimately make changes to the boundary between the U.S. and Mexico. It remains to be seen if Biden or another federal group goes after Gov. Abbott and Texas because of that, or if it will stay silent in the hope of the border crisis calming down without his administration having to deal with it.

The buoys have arrived and the installation of the marine barrier on the Rio Grande begins today. #OperationLoneStar pic.twitter.com/43VEM1tfLu

— Texas DPS (@TxDPS) July 7, 2023