𝗜𝗧'𝗦 𝗔𝗡 𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗟𝗬 𝗖𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗠𝗔𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗚𝗥𝗘𝗚 𝗔𝗕𝗕𝗢𝗧𝗧 𝗔𝗦 𝗗𝗛𝗦 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗔 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝟭𝟳 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗘 𝗕𝗨𝗢𝗬 𝗕𝗔𝗥𝗥𝗜𝗘𝗥 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗜𝗢 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗𝗘

 article compiled from news releases in Border Report, Associated Press and other sources

On July 2,  2025, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced plans to construct a 17-mile-long waterborne barrier in the Rio Grande River, near the southernmost point of Texas in Cameron County. This initiative represents a significant expansion of federal efforts to deter unauthorized border crossings and address security concerns along the U.S./Mexico border.

The proposed barrier, which is to be situated in proximity to Brownsville, Texas, and near the SpaceX Boca Chica launch facility, will span approximately 17 miles, the equivalent of 90 football fields. According to DHS, this project aims to address a “capability gap” identified along the river, particularly in regions alleged to be frequently exploited by human smugglers, traffickers, and individuals seeking to circumvent legal entry procedures.

This development follows a precedent set in 2023 by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, whose administration deployed large orange buoys in the Rio Grande as part of Operation Lone Star, a state-led border enforcement initiative. Though the buoys attracted widespread media attention and legal scrutiny at the time, the federal government’s new project is considerably more expansive in scale.

The floating barrier will be funded using appropriated funds from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget. The decision to proceed was facilitated through the issuance of a regulatory waiver by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, enabling the agency to bypass environmental and procedural requirements typically mandated under federal law, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This waiver marks the sixth of its kind issued by Secretary Noem concerning border infrastructure.

As of mid-2025, DHS has not released detailed design specifications or visual renderings of the proposed structure. It has, however, confirmed that this new barrier will differ in design and scale from Texas’s earlier floating buoys, which extended approximately 1,000 feet across the river at Eagle Pass.

In addition to the Rio Grande project, DHS has also revealed plans for a land-based barrier near Mount Cristo Rey in Sunland Park, New Mexico. This area, located at the intersection of Texas, New Mexico, and the Mexican state of Chihuahua, has been identified as a hotspot for illicit cross-border activity.

While the effectiveness of such waterborne and terrestrial barriers remains a subject of ongoing debate, the federal government’s increased investment in physical border infrastructure signals a continued emphasis on deterrence and surveillance as key strategies in U.S. border policy.