After President Trump was sworn in, Gov. Greg Abbott said Texas placed more buoys in the Rio Grande along the Texas-Mexico border

TEXAS, USA — Just after President Donald Trump was sworn into office on Monday, the state of Texas announced it had deployed additional buoys in the Rio Grande.

In the wake of Trump’s inauguration, an app used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with several immigration policies implemented by the Trump administration, were suspended. Legal experts have noted that some of the border security measures proposed by the Trump administration could face legal challenges.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott shared a video on social media Monday showing new buoys being placed in the Rio Grande at the Texas-Mexico border.

“Texas installed more buoys in the Rio Grande today to stop illegal immigration,” Abbott posted on X, formerly Twitter. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with President Trump to secure the border.”

Abbott also published a letter to Trump, urging his support on border security.

The installation of these buoys has been a controversial issue between Texas and the Biden administration.

As reported by our sister station KENS in November, Jessie Fuentes, a member of the Eagle Pass Border Coalition, filed a lawsuit against the state in 2023 after Governor Abbott authorized the deployment of the buoys in the Rio Grande. The lawsuit argued that the buoys discriminated against Mexican-Americans and Mexican nationals and posed significant environmental risks. In response, the Biden administration filed its own lawsuit.

A federal appeals court initially sided with the Biden administration, ordering the removal of the floating barriers. However, in July, the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, as reported by the Associated Press.

In November, Governor Abbott announced plans to extend the length of the floating barriers along the Rio Grande in the Eagle Pass area.