Texas must move buoy barrier deployed to halt migrant river crossings, judge rules

A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Texas to relocate a floating barrier compromised of large buoys that Austin had deployed to curb migrant crossings via the Rio Grande.

The state installed the barrier in earlier July, prompting a rapid challenge from the Department of Justice and protests from the Mexican government.

U.S. District Judge David Ezra of Texas ordered that the state move the barrier to the river bank by Sept. 15, the Associated Press reported. The state is likely to appeal.

The buoy barrier is one of several efforts by Texas to combat the surge in illegal migration across the southern border under the Biden administration. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has also begun busing migrants to left-wing sanctuary cities in a bid to highlight Washington's lax approach to border enforcement.

Moreover, other states have contributed their national guardsmen to bolster Texas's Operation Lone Star, Austin's unilateral effort to address the migrant crisis in the face of perceived federal apathy.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.