Trump Administration Looking to the Water to Stop Illegal Immigration – RedState
President Donald Trump’s administration is not only seeking to secure the southern border by land but also by sea, with the creation of hundreds of miles of border buoys in the Rio Grande.
Speaking to the Washington Examiner, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks spoke about the project that will begin in 2026, designed to create a 500-mile defense along the waterway that runs between the United States and Mexico.
EXCLUSIVE – The Trump administration will soon install more than 500 miles of marked barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, marking the first time the U.S. government has used a water-based defense system to stop illegal immigration. https://t.co/BquFbroy76
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminator) December 23, 2025
READ MORE: More Victories: San Diego Border Sector Closes Facilities After ‘Unprecedented Decrease’ in Illegal Crossings
‘Promises made, promises kept’: White House shatters border success under Trump
EXCLUSIVE by @Anna_Giaritelli – Trump administration installs 500-mile wall of buoys in Rio Grande pic.twitter.com/Lmzrs9sEzp
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminator) December 23, 2025
Banks said the buoy barrier was originally planned during the first Trump administration, but when former President Joe Biden took office, everything stopped.
The Border Patrol chief explained that the contracts had been signed and they were ready to “start deploying” the buoys, but the Biden administration decided it was not going to undertake that type of infrastructure.
Banks said that after leaving the Border Patrol, he went to work for Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as Texas’ border czar. They worked on the buoy project, but only in the Lone Star state.
He said it works very well as a deterrent and so this new barrier project will start soon.
“Texas has proven what U.S. border patrols believed under Trump 45, that this would be an effective barrier as part of our total border wall system,” Banks said. “So we’ve made rapid progress in this area.”
“We will begin laying the first set of buoys in the Rio Grande Valley in early 2026,” he added. “The contracts are in place. The preparatory work is underway. It is very effective.”
SEE: No illegal aliens in sight: Tom Homan’s astonishing 3-day border review
Bill Maher’s message to Democrats upset by Trump’s border crackdown: Look ‘in the mirror’
The banks then explained what they actually offer.
“What they’re really doing is pushing our border all the way to the border,” the chief said. “As you saw when you look at the border wall, that wall is often several feet, even several miles north of the border, because of the flood plains along the river.”
“This allows us to put in place early detection and deterrence right in the center of the river, on the real international border,” he added. “And gives us that first point of detection of those who are trying to enter the country illegally.”
Banks made it clear that Trump was aware of the marked border and said the level of support the Border Patrol agency receives from the president and his administration is “unprecedented.”
Teams are working around the clock, overcoming all obstacles to strengthen our border. The mission never stops and neither should we. Every kilometer of wall built provides greater operational control and a more secure homeland.@usbpchieftca pic.twitter.com/tsAwHIUMmu
– Chief Michael W. Banks (@USBPChief) December 20, 2025
“He listens to us and supports us,” the patrol leader said. “I have never seen as much support from a president and a secretary as we are getting from Trump and the secretary. [of Homeland Security Kristi] Noème.
This buoy barrier comes after the Border Patrol under Trump 47 got back to work reinforcing the physical wall along the border states of California, New Mexico and Arizona.
Promises kept.
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