Gov. Greg Abbott stated on Thursday that the state of Texas would put a barrier between US and Mexico in the Rio Grande in order to stop the incoming deluge of 1,000 migrants crossing into Texas each day. Migration is increasing in numbers, which may soon become a problem.
Abbott said that the 1,000-foot wide barrier would be made up by four-foot wide buoys and first placed next to the city Eagle Pass, a heavily fortified part of the border that officials have stated is a key location for migrant attempts to cross.
Though the buoys will only cover a small section of the Texas border, Greg Abbott said the buoys could be moved to other key points and expanded in the near future. “What these buoys will allow us to do is to prevent people from even getting to the border,” McCraw stated at a border bill signing ceremony.
Still, immigrant advocates argue that many people who even try to cross the Grande do so because they are desperate to reach the US. “Abbott’s latest stunt will make this situation even more dangerous and deadly,” said Mary Miller Flowers, director at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.
The buoys, however, will still be passable. McCraw admitted that it is possible to venture through them–but it would require great effort. When asked if one could just swim under the buoys, McCraw said that there would be webbing underneath.
Officials in Eagle Pass, a city that has struggled to accommodate the migrants, were on board with Abbott’s efforts. “We want to avoid any interruption to our international bridges and our downtown businesses,” said Rolando Salinas Jr., the mayor.
When asked if he was concerned about the dangerous conditions for those who attempt to cross the barrier, Salinas said that the Rio was never meant to be a crossing point.
Chief of Maverick County Roberto De Leon stated that many migrants had been drowning in their area. “Anything that keeps us from finding a dead body on the side of the river, I’m for,” he said.
Abbott said that the 1,000-foot wide barrier would be made up by four-foot wide buoys and first placed next to the city Eagle Pass, a heavily fortified part of the border that officials have stated is a key location for migrant attempts to cross.
Though the buoys will only cover a small section of the Texas border, Greg Abbott said the buoys could be moved to other key points and expanded in the near future. “What these buoys will allow us to do is to prevent people from even getting to the border,” McCraw stated at a border bill signing ceremony.
Still, immigrant advocates argue that many people who even try to cross the Grande do so because they are desperate to reach the US. “Abbott’s latest stunt will make this situation even more dangerous and deadly,” said Mary Miller Flowers, director at the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights.
The buoys, however, will still be passable. McCraw admitted that it is possible to venture through them–but it would require great effort. When asked if one could just swim under the buoys, McCraw said that there would be webbing underneath.
Officials in Eagle Pass, a city that has struggled to accommodate the migrants, were on board with Abbott’s efforts. “We want to avoid any interruption to our international bridges and our downtown businesses,” said Rolando Salinas Jr., the mayor.
When asked if he was concerned about the dangerous conditions for those who attempt to cross the barrier, Salinas said that the Rio was never meant to be a crossing point.
Chief of Maverick County Roberto De Leon stated that many migrants had been drowning in their area. “Anything that keeps us from finding a dead body on the side of the river, I’m for,” he said.
