Future of Texas’ migrant-blocking buoys may hinge on whether the Rio Grande is ‘navigable’

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court is considering the latest arguments on whether Texas must remove a barrier consisting of large floating buoys anchored in the Rio Grande as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s efforts to deter immigration. The state installed the buoys  in July 2023. The barrier stretches about the length of three soccer fields along the international border with Mexico. Arguments were heard Wednesday before the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The barrier is one focal point in the legal disputes over border control between Democratic President Joe Biden and Gov. Greg Abbott.