‘Flashy’: Trump launches buoy project to make America’s border more secure
President Donald Trump’s newest work to secure America’s southern border is launching: a campaign to install 900 miles of buoys in the center of the Rio Grande, right on the international boundary, to deter illegal immigrants from crossing.
A Washington Examiner report explains it will be the first time “the U.S. government has used a water-based defense system to stop illegal immigration.”
Construction crews will be installing the barriers starting early next year, according to Mike Banks, the chief of the Border Patrol.
“We’re going to start laying the first string of those buoys down in the Rio Grande Valley in the first part of 2026. We’ve contracted over 500 miles of it.”
The idea already has been tried, as Texas installed about a mile-long barrier during the administration of Joe Biden, who essentially opened the border with Mexico and invited in millions and millions of illegal aliens, including criminals and terrorists.
Trump’s administration already has effectively secure the border, and illegals crossing into the U.S. now are at a 55-year low.
The project is funded by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in July, the report said.
The Examiner called it the “latest flashy action” Trump is taking to secure the border.
THE TRUMP EFFECT!
For the 6th month in a row, Border Patrol has released ZERO illegal aliens into the United States. pic.twitter.com/fdkGtrFL4t
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 17, 2025
As the year comes to a close, we still have the most secure border of my lifetime thanks to the unwavering leadership of President Trump and his dedication to making America safe and prosperous. Recently, I was able to travel with CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott to several sites… pic.twitter.com/2L3UscwYaa
— Thomas D. Homan (@RealTomHoman) December 18, 2025
This may go down as one of the most powerful moments we’ve ever seen from Tom Homan.
In under three minutes, Homan laid out in BRUTAL clarity the difference between President Trump’s border and what Americans lived through under Biden.
The Border Czar looked directly into the… pic.twitter.com/WAQfYdKIT2
— Overton (@overton_news) December 15, 2025
Banks said Trump has endorsed the idea, and it is backed by Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“I have never seen this much support from a president and a secretary,” Banks explained in an interview. “The support is even greater than it was in his first administration, as he’s continued to learn and grow in his understanding and knowledge on the border.”
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said, “There’s no doubt that President Trump has expeditiously delivered on his promise to secure our border. While Biden let criminal illegals pour into our country and complained he couldn’t do anything to stop it, President Trump immediately proved him wrong, and the American people are safer for it. It’s amazing what happens when you have a President who believes in empowering Border Patrol to do their job.”
The plans are to install the 900 miles of buoys in phases.
The forthcoming buoys will be up to six feet in diameter and cylinder-shaped and they will be placed in the center of the river. They will have detection tech that will issue alerts for movement.
The barrier is in addition to the steel wall construction that was launched by the first Trump administration, and now is continuing, too.
Selene Rodriguez, of the Secure and Sovereign Texas campaign at the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation think tank, told the Examiner, “A key component of border security is deterrence. Infrastructure that discourages people from attempting to illegally enter the United States is a positive investment, but it must be accompanied by intelligence, technology, and personnel.”
Leftists disapproved of the security plan, with Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., claiming it was a “vanity project.”
He said the money should have instead been spent subsidizing health-care premiums.