CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas \u2014 Contractors have begun installing a 17-mile stretch of new cylindrical buoys in the Rio Grande River to prevent illegal crossings from Mexico.<\/p>\n
These are the first of 536 miles of buoys that the federal government plans to stretch from the Gulf of Mexico deep into South Texas.<\/p>\n
The Department of Homeland Security has waived environmental laws and issued more than $1 billion in contracts to private companies to install them in continuous chains.<\/p>\n
Each industrial-style buoy is more than 12 feet long and four to five feet in diameter. Unlike the original, spherical buoys, the new buoys are much larger, cylindrical and form a continuous barrier across the river.<\/p>\n
Federal agencies have not made any environmental assessment or flood modeling for the border buoys available to the public.<\/p>\n
Experts have criticized the secrecy surrounding the project and warn that the buoys could intensify flooding and change the river channel.<\/p>\n
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.<\/p>\n
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