Mexico Complains Texas Floating Barrier Is on Its Side of Rio Grande

A top Mexican diplomat said the anti-migrant buoys installed in Texas are on Mexico's side of the Rio Grande, as she raised a number of concerns with her U.S. counterpart.

Speaking at a press conference with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Bárcena questioned the legality of the barriers and the dangers they may create. They have been installed on the Rio Grande to deter migrants attempting to cross illegally into the U.S.

Mexico's foreign affairs ministry has said the barrier infringes upon established treaties governing river usage and encroaches upon Mexico's sovereignty. The U.S has also deemed the barriers illegal and has brought a lawsuit against the state of Texas.

"What we're talking about is a very delicate situation on the border, at the Rio Grande — Rio Bravo as we call it," Bárcena said. "Most of the buoys are on the Mexican side."

Bárcena pointed to talks being constructive with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and expressed her support for the Department of Justice lawsuit against the Texas government. She continued: "I take from this a sense of hope. Lets see what the federal court says."

In July, the DOJ sued the state of Texas and Governor Greg Abbott, alleging Texas has violated the law by building the buoys in the Rio Grande without authorization, resulting in an obstruction in U.S. waters. The department is seeking to make Texas officials remove the barrier at the state's expense.

In a letter to President Joe Biden, Abbott asserted that he wouldn't comply with the initial request, writing that the president "must fully enforce the laws of the United States that prohibit illegal immigration between ports of entry."

Abbott wrote that Biden's "open border policies" encourage "migrants to risk their lives by crossing illegally through the water, instead of safely and legally at a port of entry." He wrote: "Neither of us wants to see another death in the Rio Grande River."

The letter continues: "If you truly care about human life, you must begin enforcing federal immigration laws. By doing so, you can help me stop migrants from wagering their lives in the waters of the Rio Grande River. You can also help me save Texans, and indeed all Americans, from deadly drugs like fentanyl, cartel violence, and the horrors of human trafficking."

The DOJ asked a federal court in Austin to order the state's border barrier to be removed, citing the Rivers and Harbors Appropriation Act of 1899 that bars unauthorized construction in a navigable waterway.

"Simply put, we're a country and a government that proceeds by rule of law," Blinken said, citing the legal case. "We need to let this legal process play out. That is the proper and appropriate way to proceed for a country that operates by the rule of law."

Earlier this week Democrat Rep. Sylvia Garcia wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that she was "appalled by the ongoing cruel and inhumane tactics employed by @GovAbbott at the Texas border." She posted a close up clip of the buoys appearing to show a circular saw between the large orange balls.

Last week Mexican authorities confirmed two bodies had been recovered from the Rio Grande. One of the bodies was caught in the floating barrier. Mexico's foreign affairs department said in a statement on August 2 that one body was found stuck in the lines of orange buoys.

The Associated Press reported that the other body was recovered about three miles upriver from the barrier.

Newsweek has contacted Governor Greg Abbott for comment.