U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the deployment of the barriers on Wednesday during a visit to the Rio Grande Valley that included a roundtable discussion with U.S. Customs and Border Protection personnel as well as ranchers whose property is often traversed by migrants moving north after crossing the border.

Standing before one of the buoys — large floating, cylindrical devices that can measure up to 15 feet long and four to five feet in diameter — Noem said 130 miles of the water barrier were already under contract and were beginning to be installed that day.

This water barrier is part of a push by President Donald Trump to build a “Smart Wall” made up of steel barriers, waterborne barriers, patrol roads, lights, cameras and detection technology. The projects are funded by the 2025 tax and spending megabill, which Trump named the One Big Beautiful Bill.

Noem touted the water barrier as a deterrent to people crossing the border illegally as well as drug smugglers and human traffickers.

Homeland Security and the Border Patrol are working with the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission and the state of Texas to ensure proper installation of the buoys, Noem said.

The state of Texas is already familiar with using buoys to deter border crossings. Governor Greg Abbott ordered the installation of a 1,000-foot water barrier along the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass in 2023 as part of his mission to tighten border security, and an additional 1,000 feet of buoys after Trump took office in January 2025.

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“Texas finally has a partner in the White House,” Andrew Mahaleris, press secretary for Abbott, said in a statement Wednesday. “The floating marine barriers deployed by Texas have been a resounding success, and Governor Abbott is proud to work with the Trump Administration and Border Patrol to expand the program. ”

The buoys sparked protests from activists concerned about migrant safety and a complaint from the Mexican government alleging the buoys violated water treaties between the U.S. and Mexico. The U.S. Department of Justice under President Joe Biden sued Texas over the buoys, citing similar concerns. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has allowed the buoys to remain in place while the merits of the case move forward in a lower court. The state has argued it has the right to defend itself against an “invasion” of drug cartels.

Weeks after the buoy wall was installed in Eagle Pass, Mexican authorities reported the lifeless body of a migrant had been found on one of the floating spheres. On Wednesday, Noem argued that the water barrier would prevent migrant deaths by discouraging them from trying to cross the river.

“They’ll create a safer environment for agents on patrol, and securing our waterways not only protects Americans, it saves the lives of illegal aliens by deterring them from daring to attempt to cross through this treacherous water,” Noem said.

This article was written by Berenice García and first appeared on The Texas Tribune. 

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The Texas senators filed legislation Thursday that would limit the U.S. from sending Mexico future deliveries of water and would allow the U.S. president to stop engaging with Mexico in certain business sectors that benefit from U.S. water.

The treaty requires the U.S. to deliver 1,500,000 acre-feet of water from the Colorado River to Mexico every year. In exchange, Mexico is required to deliver 1,750,000 acre-feet of water to the U.S. every five years, or 350,000 acre-feet per year, from six tributaries.

The delay in water continues to frustrate local farmers and ranchers who depend on water for their irrigation needs. Water received from Mexico is typically stored at two international reservoirs. When water is released, it feeds into the Rio Grande.

However, combined levels at the reservoirs reached a record low last year and continue to be in limited supply due, in part, to lack of rainfall.

When reservoir water is in short supply, irrigation water for farmers is the first to be cut off. This has had a devastating impact on the Rio Grande Valley’s agricultural community, prompting the shutdown of Texas’ last sugar mill in Santa Rosa, though investors announced they plan to revive it.

“The Mexican government exploits the structure of the treaty to defer and delay its deliveries in each individual year until it becomes impossible for it to meet its overall obligations, and it continues to fail to meet its obligation to deliver water to the United States under the 1944 Water Treaty,” Cruz said in a statement. “These failures are catastrophic for Texas farmers and ranchers, who rely on regular and complete deliveries by Mexico under the treaty and are on the front lines of this crisis, facing water shortages that threaten agriculture and livestock.”

Mexico has struggled to meet its obligations. When the most recent five-year cycle came to an end on Oct. 24, Mexico still owed 865,136 acre-feet of water. Because of drought conditions, Mexico has the next five years to pay back its debt.

Mexico reaches agreement to send more water to southern US

The bill would try to compel Mexico to make minimum annual deliveries instead of allowing Mexico to pay what it owes at the end of the five years.

It also requires the U.S. secretary of state to submit a report to Congress on the status of Mexico’s water deliveries within 180 days of the bill’s enactment. The report would determine whether Mexico had delivered at least 350,000 acre-feet of water the previous year.

The report would also assess whether Mexico is capable of delivering the full 1,750,000 acre-feet of water by the end of the five-year cycle, and would identify economic sectors and activities in Mexico that benefit from the water it receives from the U.S. and from water from the six tributaries managed by the treaty.

If Mexico fails to deliver at least 350,000 acre-feet in the previous year, the bill would require the president to deny all emergency requests from Mexico for the delivery of water under any amendments to the treaty.

However, exceptions would be made if the water were used exclusively for an ongoing ecological, environmental, or humanitarian emergency or if fulfilling the request is vital to U.S. national interests.

The president may also limit or terminate engagement with Mexico related to those sectors or activities that benefit from the water it gets from the U.S. or from the six tributaries. Exceptions would be made for engagement that relates to countering the flow of fentanyl and other synthetic drugs.

Hoping to enact consequences for failing to comply with the water treaty, the Valley’s congressional delegation — including U.S. Reps. Monica De La Cruz, a Republican from Edinburg, Henry Cuellar, a Laredo Democrat, and Cornyn — said they favored including the water treaty in trade talks next year when the U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement is up for review.

“Mexico has repeatedly failed to uphold the 1944 Water Treaty, including last month when they missed the five-year deadline to deliver the 1.75 million acre-feet of water owed to the United States,” Cornyn said. “I am proud to cosponsor this legislation alongside Senator Cruz, which will put added pressure on Mexico to live up to its obligations under the Treaty, ensure the South Texas agriculture community has the water it needs, and impose harsher penalties on Mexico should they choose to continue withholding the water we’re owed.”

The bill could potentially work faster to add an enforcement mechanism to the treaty if it is passed.

“Without stronger congressional pressure and oversight, Mexico will continue to fail to meet its obligations,” Cruz said.

This article was written by Berenice García and first appeared on The Texas Tribune.

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