By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2025-01-22 11:51:58 | Updated at 2025-01-22 14:58:52
3 hours ago
Just hours after President Donald Trump was sworn back into office, Texas ramped up its border security efforts, deploying additional floating barriers along the Rio Grande.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared footage of the massive buoys being installed at the Texas-Mexico border, in a move aimed at deterring illegal crossings.
'I look forward to continuing to work closely with President Trump to secure the border,' Abbott declared on X/Twitter, adding, 'AMERICA IS BACK!'
The floating barriers, part of Texas's controversial border enforcement program, have been at the center of legal and political battles. In 2023, the Biden Administration sued Texas, arguing that the barriers violated federal law.
While a district court initially ruled in favor of the federal government, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision, allowing Texas to expand the use of the buoys.
In November, Abbott announced plans to extend the barriers near Eagle Pass, a hotspot for migrant crossings, and now with Trump back in the White House, the governor is doubling down on his border security measures.
It comes after White House border czar Tom Homan said Tuesday that President Donald Trump's mass deportation has begun as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers can now arrest illegal immigrants in churches and schools.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared footage on X of massive buoys being installed at the Texas-Mexico border
The floating barriers, part of Texas's controversial border enforcement program, have been at the center of legal and political battles
In November, Abbott announced plans to extend the barriers near Eagle Pass, a hotspot for migrant crossings
Governor Abbott, a staunch ally of President Trump, wasted no time in expressing his support for the new administration.
On Monday, Abbott shared a letter addressed to Trump, congratulating him on his inauguration and urging further action on the border crisis.
'Texas has fought to secure the border in the face of federal obstruction,' Abbott wrote.
'I look forward to ending this crisis with your help.'
During a speech on Monday, President Trump praised Abbott's efforts, calling him a 'strong leader' in the fight to secure America's borders.
Now back in office, President Trump is set to sign a series of executive orders aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration.
Critics argue that the buoys are inhumane and ineffective, while supporters say they are a necessary deterrent to protect Texas communities.
Trump also pledged to send troops to the southern border, though immigration lawyers have pointed out that military personnel are not permitted to make arrests.
Critics argue that the buoys are inhumane and ineffective, while supporters say they are a necessary deterrent to protect Texas communities
In 2023, the Biden Administration sued Texas, arguing that the barriers violated federal law
'I look forward to continuing to work closely with President Trump to secure the border,' Abbott declared on X/Twitter, adding, 'AMERICA IS BACK!'
Now back in office, President Trump is set to sign a series of executive orders aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration
Additionally, the president is set to formally designate Mexican drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, a move that could escalate efforts to combat cross-border crime.
The reinstallation of the buoys comes after Trump signed an executive order that aims to end birthright citizenship - a move that Abbott said he would back.
But several other states dubbed the order as 'unlawful'.
'What the president did yesterday is unlawful, unconstitutional and it will not stand,' New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said in an interview with NPR.
'We are a state of immigrants. Millions of people in our state have obtained their citizenship through birthright citizenship,' Platkin said.
'It's the story of our state and the story of America, and it's enshrined in our [U.S.] Constitution for a reason.'
The reinstallation of floating barriers is likely to reignite tensions over border security.
US Customs and Border Protection estimates that around 270,000 migrants are waiting on the Mexican side of the U.S.-Mexico border, hoping to get an appointment to enter the U.S. through a system that Trump has vowed to end, according to CBS News.
By January 16, nearly 919,000 migrants had been allowed into the U.S. through the CBP One app - a government system which the Biden administration converted into the main gateway to the American asylum system.
But critics have argued that the buoys are inhumane and ineffective, while supporters say they are a necessary deterrent to protect Texas communities.
Migrants cross back and forth between the United States and Mexico at the Rio Grande in Ciudad Acuna, Mexico on September 16, 2021
A sign (pictured right) asks illegal migrants a shocking question in multiple languages: 'How much did you pay to have your daughter raped?'
Another warned that migrants will be arrested if they enter Texas illegally. In addition to Spanish, billboards are being produced in Russian, Chinese and Arabic
The Lone Star State is launching a visceral billboard campaign in Mexico and Central America to deter illegal immigration by highlighting sexual assault and other dangers
The Biden Administration had opposed the use of the buoys, claiming they posed environmental risks and violated international treaties with Mexico.
Abbott, however, dismissed these concerns, framing the barriers as essential to combating what he has repeatedly called a 'border crisis.'
With Trump now leading the charge from Washington, Abbott appears emboldened in his efforts to expand the program.
As the new administration settles in, the fight over immigration and border security is set to dominate the political landscape once again.
With Texas pushing ahead on its controversial measures and President Trump vowing to take bold action, the stage is set for another round of heated debates over the future of America's southern border.
