EXCLUSIVE: Most voters support Texas Gov Abbot’s floating barrier along the Rio Grande despite fears of drowning migrants, according to DailyMail.com/TIPP poll
EXCLUSIVE: Most voters support Texas Gov Abbot’s floating barrier along the Rio Grande despite fears of drowning migrants, according to DailyMail.com/TIPP poll
Most Americans support the buoys Texas Governor Gregg Abbot has deployed along the Rio Grande to deter migrants, despite concerns they are illegal and lead to drownings, a poll shows.
A whopping 51 percent of voters support the 1,000-foot floating barrier at a popular migrant crossing between Eagle Pass and Piedras Negras, Mexico, according to a DailyMail.com/TIPP poll.
About a third of the 1,400 adults we asked earlier this month said they were against the wrecking ball-sized shackles. Another 15 percent said they weren’t sure about the devices.
The elderly and those in the Northeast and Midwest were more supportive of the devices, which are part of the state’s aggressive anti-immigrant policy, Operation Lone Star.
Proponents say the buoys deter unlawful river flooders, critics call them ‘barbaric’
Though controversial, Texas Governor Gregg Abbot’s handcuffs are supported by most Americans, our poll shows
The Texas government installed the barrier last month, saying at the time the shackles would deter smugglers and illegal immigrants from attempting the dangerous river crossing into Texas.
“It’s called operation hold the line,” said Gov Abt.
“They hold the line and make sure no one illegally enters the state of Texas.”
The U.S. Justice Department last month filed a lawsuit to remove the shackles, saying they pose a threat to shipping and public safety.
Mexico has complained that it is violating a water treaty and damaging cooperation between the two countries.
Two bodies were found along the barrier, one of them is stuck between buoys.
Texas State Representative Joaquin Castro, a Democrat, appeared in a video at Eagle Pass this week saying the state was treating migrants like “animals” with the “barbaric” large floating spherical devices.
He called them “barrel traps” with jagged metal “chainsaw devices” between each buoy.
The survey results come as illegal immigration is a priority issue for millions of Americans — especially those living along the U.S.-Mexico border or New York and other cities overwhelmed by the influx of asylum seekers.
Migrants walk into the United States at Eagle Pass, Texas, after crossing the Rio Grande River
Republicans are the biggest fans of the shackles, but many Democrats support the orange devices
Gov Abbot says his shackles are ‘holding the line’
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday, saying an influx of migrants seeking shelter was overwhelming a state already lacking affordable housing.
It’s also a frontline issue in the 2024 presidential race, with former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and other Republican wannabes taking tough stances on border security.
More than three-quarters of Republicans rate the floating barrier as a “good idea,” compared to just 40 percent of Democrats.
Many social media users expressed their support for Abbot’s devices.
One user praised their “effectiveness” in deterring illegal river crossings and criticized the federal government for deploying them.
“If you don’t like the solutions in Texas, insist the FBI do their job and close the border,” another wrote.