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Feds Plan to Install 536 Miles of Floating Barriers on Rio Grande to Deter Migrants
DHS installs first 17 miles of a planned 536-mile buoy barrier on the Rio Grande to prevent illegal crossings amid a 73% drop in apprehensions, costing $5.6 million per mile.
- On Feb. 26, contractors began installing buoys in Brownsville's Southmost neighborhood as the Department of Homeland Security starts a 536-mile plan with over $1 billion in contracts.
- Earlier this year, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem waived more than 30 federal laws in a 20-mile area along the Rio Grande to expedite the Waterborne Barrier Project, building on previous Eagle Pass and U.S. Army Corps actions.
- Contract reviews show a $5.6 million per mile cost estimate, pushing the project above $3 billion, with federal contracts totaling over $2.5 billion, CBP said.
- Under the 1970 U.S.-Mexico treaty, construction causing 'adverse effects' requires removal, repair, or compensation, but the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission has been silent despite likely violations by the buoys, experts say.
- Federal agencies have not made environmental assessments or flood modeling public, critics say, while Mark Tompkins warned local officials earlier this month of unpredictable, catastrophic river changes and the GAO found flooding worsened with one death trapped in buoys.
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8 Articles
Border Communities Remain in the Dark About Federal Government’s Billion-Dollar Buoy Project
The industrial-grade buoys, already being installed in Brownsville, Texas, are meant to prevent unauthorized crossings. But experts warn the buoys could intensify flooding and change the river’s course.By Martha PskowskiReporting supported by the Water Desk at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources8
Leaning Left3Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Center
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources are Center
57% Center
L 43%
C 57%
Factuality
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