At the Texas Rio Grande border, how buoy barriers pose grave danger

Two bodies were recovered from the Rio Grande Wednesday, one near controversial water buoys near Eagle Pass, Texas. The state placed the floating barriers there in July to prevent migrants from crossing the river.

The first body was found along the barrier, according to Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department, the Associated Press reported. A second was found upriver, about 3 miles from the buoys.

It's unclear if the deaths are connected. Causes of death and nationalities of the victims are unknown. U.S. and Mexican officials are working to identify them.

The Biden administration sued the state July 24 for placing 4-foot-wide orange buoys in the middle of the river between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico.

Texas officials said the buoys were installed to prevent illegal border crossings. The Mexican government says they endanger lives and may encroach on Mexican territory.

In its lawsuit, the U.S. government says the buoys violate federal law. A federal judge's decision is pending.

The buoys are connected to form a barricade about 1,000 feet long. They are fastened to the river bottom and have nets below the water to prevent people from swimming beneath them. The buoys themselves rotate so that people can't climb over them.

The legal dispute includes accusations of Texas attempting to usurp federal control of national borders. Critics also say the buoys will make dangerous river crossings even more unsafe.

The devices are installed in what are called high-traffic areas, sections where people are likely to attempt to cross the river. Here is where they're located and what they do:

The buoys are part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, a controversial border protection program that started in March 2021.

The state has also put up miles of razor wire – braided steel wire with sharp metal pieces attached – along the Texas banks of the Rio Grande. That has resulted in adults and children being severely cut during river crossings.

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Texas has also placed shipping containers along the river at Eagle Pass and El Paso. Abbott described the containers as a steel wall along the southern border.

Total costs for Operation Lone Star are estimated at about $4 billion. The price for the first segment of the buoy barrier at Eagle Pass is expected to cost $1 million, USA TODAY reported.

The federal lawsuit against Texas says the state violated the Rivers and Harbors Act by obstructing the river with the buoys. It says Texas was not authorized by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to install the buoys, as required by law.

"This floating barrier poses threats to navigation and public safety and presents humanitarian concerns," the Justice Department said in a statement.

The suit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

CONTRIBUTING Adam Powell, El Paso Times

SOURCE USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Associated Press