US border
Mexico: Abolish the floating wall against migration
The floating barrier is designed to prevent migrants from crossing into Texas from Mexico. photo
© Eric Gay/AP
Deterrent: Buoys are being used to prevent migrants from crossing the Rio Grande River and entering the United States. Mexico calls for the removal of the floating barrier.
The Mexican government has decided to erect a floating barrier in the border river Rio Grande expressed concerns about illegal migration to US. Placing buoys in the middle of the river could impede the normal flow of water, according to a diplomatic note from Mexico’s State Department to the US government.
The river blockage also violates bilateral and international treaties. Mexico has already called for the barriers to be removed. The construction of a barbed wire fence on an island off the US state of Texas was also criticized.
US deterrent
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the construction of the floating barrier in front of the town of Eagle Pass, which could make border crossings even more dangerous for migrants. The Republican said the barrier would increase his administration’s deterrent measures against illegal border crossings from Mexico. “We now have buoys in the water to prevent people from crossing the middle part of the Rio Grande and into the state of Texas,” Abbott told Fox News, according to an official statement.
Mexico is on the migratory route of people trying to reach the US. They are fleeing poverty, violence and political crises in their home countries. Between October 2021 and October 2022, the US Border Protection Agency registered more than two million attempts to enter the United States. In addition to migrants from Central America, more and more people from Venezuela, Haiti and Cuba are making their way.