Texas to install 1,000-ft inflatable barrier in the Rio Grande to stop migrants crossing

Texas places an inflatable wall in the middle of the Rio Grande River to create an additional barrier for migrants trying to enter the US illegally

Gov. Greg Abbott announced the new measure to help quell the crisis on the southern border.

The 300-foot inflatable barrier will be placed in the middle of the river near Eagle Pass, Texas — a very popular migrant crossing point across from Piedras Negras in the state of Coahuila, Mexico.

At a news conference Thursday, the governor of Texas unveiled a photo display of the water-based barrier on buoys in the middle of the Rio Grande River.

Not only is the river often crossed by migrants who then illegally enter the US, but it is also extremely dangerous and has led to the death and injury of those who tried to cross.

Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven McCraw said at the news conference that the floating barrier is just “another tool” to help secure the border as part of Abbott’s Operation Lonestar initiative.

It comes less than a month after the end of Title 42, a pandemic-era deportation policy that allowed for the immediate deportation of migrants seeking asylum during a public health emergency.

Republicans and border hawks have criticized President Joe Biden for ending the policy without offering an alternative to prevent record-breaking migration rates from reaching even higher levels.

The Department of Homeland Security is instead expanding the number of migrants who can schedule asylum interviews with Customs and Border Protection through their app.

The CBP One app is a program unveiled by the Biden administration that aims to streamline the asylum application process. Migrants seeking asylum in the US must first apply for an appointment online and then enter the US through a legal gateway for that appointment.

DHS confirmed to CBS News that starting this month it will expand the number of entries allowed from 20,000 per month to about 40,000.