President Trump Orders Construction of 17 Miles of Floating Border Barriers in Rio Grande

The Department of Homeland Security is moving forward with a 17-mile floating border barrier in Texas, fast-tracking the project using waivers to bypass environmental regulations. This marks the first major waterborne border barrier approved under the Trump administration.

Key Facts:

DHS will install a 17-mile floating border barrier in Cameron County, Texas, within the Rio Grande Valley Sector.
Secretary Kristi Noem signed waivers to bypass environmental rules, allowing the project to proceed quickly.
Funding comes from Customs and Border Protection’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget.
This will be the first waterborne barrier project under the Trump administration, though Texas used a similar system in 2023.
The Biden administration previously opposed Texas’s floating barriers and took legal action to remove them.

The Rest of The Story:

The Department of Homeland Security announced plans to construct 17 miles of floating border barrier in the Rio Grande Valley.

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem signed a waiver Thursday to bypass environmental rules, accelerating the start of construction.

The barrier will be built in Cameron County, Texas, using funds appropriated in 2021, with contract awards expected before the end of Fiscal Year 2025.

This move comes after a similar effort by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in 2023, when the state deployed floating buoys in Eagle Pass to deter illegal crossings.

That project faced backlash from activists and legal resistance from the Biden administration, which called for the barriers’ removal.

A court initially sided with the White House, but the full appeals court later reversed the ruling in a 10-7 decision, allowing the buoys to stay.

The new federal project aims to close what DHS calls a “capability gap” in areas prone to drug trafficking and human smuggling.

Officials say it will help protect Border Patrol agents and reduce illegal activity along key water routes.

NEW: More buoys will be stretched through the Rio Grande—This time down in the Rio Grande Valley. @DHSgov @Sec_Noem signed a waiver to permit 17 miles of buoys in the river in Cameron County.

Via DHS: “Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed a waiver to… pic.twitter.com/3symSiC6dX

— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) July 3, 2025

Commentary:

This type of border security has been long overdue.

Floating barriers offer a smart, cost-effective solution in areas where walls or fences aren’t practical.

The buoys make river crossings difficult and dangerous, giving agents time to respond without needing massive infrastructure projects or troop deployments.

When Texas first introduced these buoys in 2023, the federal government under President Biden did everything it could to shut the effort down.

That included legal challenges and appeals meant to delay or cancel the project.

It’s telling that now, under President Trump, the same concept is being adopted on a larger scale and without apology.

The contrast couldn’t be clearer.

Texas was vilified for trying to protect its own citizens and secure the border.

Now the federal government is using waivers to speed up the very same type of barrier system—this time in one of the most trafficked parts of the southern border.

This isn’t just a shift in policy—it’s a shift in priorities.

Trump’s administration is once again making border security a top focus, and it’s doing so with practical, proven tools that don’t cost taxpayers billions or stall for years in red tape.

Floating barriers may not be flashy, but they work.

They’re hard to breach, easy to monitor, and far more affordable than other options.

Most importantly, they put the safety of American citizens and Border Patrol agents first.

If these 17 miles prove effective—and there’s every reason to believe they will—then expanding their use to other vulnerable stretches of the border makes sense.

It’s time these tools become a permanent part of our security strategy.