Floating Buoys Appear in Rio Grande as DHS Moves Ahead With 500-Mile River Barrier

A string of bright orange buoys has begun appearing in the Rio Grande near Brownsville, Texas, as the Department of Homeland Security moves forward with a plan to build a floating barrier system along large portions of the U.S.-Mexico border, even as unlawful crossings have fallen sharply.

The images of the newly-installed buoys were first taken by El Paso Times:

Photos: Rio Grande marked by new buoys on Texas-Mexico border https://t.co/mjPrbmvIK9

— El Paso Times (@elpasotimes) February 1, 2026

The installation is part of what DHS has dubbed "Operation River Wall," a U.S. Coast Guard–led initiative intended to deter illegal migration as well as drug and human smuggling. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a Jan. 7 news conference that construction of the buoy system began in January and is designed to eventually span about 500 miles of the border.

"These barriers ... are going to save lives," Noem said at the time, arguing that the system would discourage dangerous river crossings while making it more difficult for smugglers to operate. DHS officials said the first buoys were deployed earlier this month between Brownsville and Matamoros, Mexico.

The floating barriers are being installed in the Rio Grande Valley Sector, a 260-mile stretch of South Texas borderland. Border Patrol reported 1,371 migrant encounters in the sector in December 2025, the latest data available, down from more than 10,000 in December 2024 and nearly 30,000 in December 2023, as per USA Today.

DHS awarded a $96.2 million contract to Montgomery, Alabama-based BCCG Joint Venture to install 17 miles of buoys in the sector. The company secured seven of 10 contracts awarded last year for border infrastructure projects, totaling $3.1 billion.

• Tens Of Migrants Rescued From Stash House Close To The Border After Neighbor Alerts Police
• DHS Quarantines Migrants at Texas ICE Center After Two Cases Of Measles Confirmed Amid Broad U.S. Outbreak
• Two Migrants Detained After Dressing Up As Construction Workers To Enter U.S. Through Border Construction Site

According to Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks, the newly installed buoys differ from earlier versions used by Texas, measuring roughly 15 feet long and four to five feet in diameter. The cylindrical design, he said, allows the barriers to roll when climbed and provides improved flotation. Banks said more than 130 miles of buoys are already under contract, with more than 90 percent of the planned system expected to be installed in Texas.

The federal project echoes a similar buoy barrier installed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott near Eagle Pass, which the Biden administration unsuccessfully challenged in court. Those state-installed buoys were placed in an area that had seen frequent migrant drownings during periods of heightened crossings.

The expansion of river barriers comes amid a broader decline in migration. A Pew Research Center analysis published on Monday found that U.S. Border Patrol recorded 237,538 migrant encounters nationwide in fiscal year 2025, the lowest annual total since 1970. Since February 2025, Border Patrol has reported fewer than 10,000 encounters per month at the southwestern border, levels not seen in more than two decades.

© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.