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The Trump administration plans to install about 900 miles of floating buoy barriers along the Rio Grande on the southern border of Texas, a significant expansion of water-based protection.
U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks said construction is expected to begin in early 2026. The first phase would cover roughly 500 miles of the river, with a second phase adding another 400 miles.
Banks described the barriers as a “first line of defense” designed to prevent migrants from crossing into the United States and to speed response times through detection technology that alerts agents to movement in the river.
“I have never seen this much support from a president and a secretary,” Banks said in an interview with the Washington Examiner.
“The support is even greater than it was in his first administration, as he’s continued to learn and grow in his understanding and knowledge on the border.”
A White House spokesperson said President Donald Trump has moved quickly to fulfill his campaign promise on border security.
“There’s no doubt that President Donald Trump has expeditiously delivered on his promise to secure our border,” the spokesperson said. “While Biden let criminal illegals pour into our country and complained he couldn’t do anything to stop it, President Trump immediately proved him wrong, and the American people are safer for it.”
“It’s amazing what happens when you have a President who believes in empowering Border Patrol to do their job,” the spokesperson added.
The project is expected to cost about $500 million and is funded through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which Trump signed into law in July.
Administration officials point to sharp declines in illegal crossings this year as evidence that tougher enforcement and expanded barriers are working. The Department of Homeland Security has cited record-low encounter numbers, and outside reporting has described unlawful crossings at a 55-year low.
Banks said the buoy system would stretch from near the Gulf of Mexico by Brownsville westward along the Rio Grande. Officials said the barriers will not be installed in shallow areas and can be adjusted as river conditions change. Texas previously tested buoy barriers in 2023, when Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a shorter floating system installed near Eagle Pass as part of the state’s border initiative.