Texas begins deploying floating buoy barriers in Rio Grande; kayaking outfitter sues



Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is facing a lawsuit over the installation of a floating barrier in the Rio Grande, the Houston Chronicle reported Friday.

"The buoys have arrived and the installation of the marine barrier on the Rio Grande begins today. #OperationLoneStar," the Texas Department of Public Safety tweeted Friday afternoon.

Gov. Abbott shared a 15-second video of the large, orange buoys being offloaded from flatbed trailers Friday. Texas DPS is overseeing the marine barrier installation in Eagle Pass, Gov. Abbott said in a tweet, adding there is "more to come."

— (@)

Gov. Abbott launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 to respond to skyrocketing levels of illegal immigration.

Eagle Pass resident Jessie F. Fuentes filed a lawsuit within hours of the buoys' arrival, the Houston Chronicle reported. Fuentes owns a business that provides boat rentals and guided river tours. His lawsuit alleges that Abbott lacks the legal authority to launch the operation meant to deter illegal migrants from ever entering the water.

"[The business owned by Fuentes] will be unable to conduct tours and canoe and kayak sessions in Eagle Pass because of the installation of the buoys," the lawsuit says.

"The Governor proclaims to support law and order, yet he initiated Operation Lone Star without legal authority and seeks to install buoys to score political points without a legitimate public policy objective," Laredo attorney Carlos E. Flores, who represents Fuentes, told the outlet.

Gov. Abbott announced his plan to deploy the floating barriers June 8, as TheBlaze reported. The marine deterrent is one part of a much larger package package of border legislation.

"Today, public enemy number one is the Mexican cartels, and they impact every community in Texas and the United States," Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw said during the June press conference.

"Our mission is to detect and interdict transitional criminal activity and create proactive strategies to combat it. It's dangerous to cross between ports of entry, and securing the border between them is ideal to fight Mexican cartels."

At least four migrants drown in the Rio Grande in Eagle Pass this month, including an infant, WLS-TV reported Tuesday.

Last Saturday, Texas DPS's Tactical Marine Unit deployed two airboats to recover multiple bodies seen floating in the river.

Immigration advocates claim the buoys will lead to more drownings. DPS officials say the barriers will deter would-be illegal migrants from undertaking the treacherous crossing at all.

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Video: Suspected human smuggler arrested after high-speed, wrong-way chase on interstate; 12 migrants apprehended

Video: Suspected human smuggler arrested after high-speed, wrong-way chase on interstate; 12 migrants apprehended



A suspected human smuggler who led authorities in a high-speed chase in a truck barreling down the interstate in the wrong direction has been arrested, authorities say.

Eduardo Aradas of Florida faces state criminal charges for smuggling and evading, Lt. Chris Olivarez, Texas Department of Public Safety, South Texas Region spokesperson, said in a statement on Twitter.
"I've got a truck tractor going northbound in the southbound lane on 35," a trooper is heard saying in a video of the chase, which went on for "several miles."
A dozen migrants he was allegedly transporting were apprehended and referred to U.S. Border Patrol.
Video of the harrowing chase captured on an officer's dash camera accompanied Lt. Olivarez's tweet.
Texas DPS pursued the truck after the driver refused to stop for a traffic violation, Olivarez explained.
The driver reached speeds up to 85 mph while driving on the wrong side of Interstate 35 in La Salle County, Texas.
The driver eventually veered onto the shoulder and pulled off the highway into the brush, where he got stuck. The video shows the driver and a dozen migrants bailing out of the big rig and uniformed officers rounding them up.
One officer is heard asking Aradas, who was covered with dust and straw-like vegetation, where he was heading.
"San Antonio," Aradas is heard saying.
Olivarez appended the hashtag #OperationLoneStar to his tweet about the chase and the apprehension.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) launched Operation Lone Star in March 2021 to repond to a rise in illegal immigration. He issued a disaster declaration in May that now covers 48 counties, mostly along or near the southern border.
"The declaration directed the Department of Public Safety to 'use available resources to enforce all applicable federal and state laws to prevent the criminal activity along the border, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking, and to assist Texas counties in their efforts to address those criminal activities.'"
Lt. Olivarez reported Monday that in the previous 48 hours, Texas DPS' Tactical Marine Unit had recovered four deceased bodies from the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas. One of the bodies was that of an infant.
— (@)
Watch Texas Department of Public Safety officials teach Eduardo Aradas a lesson after the suspected human smuggler from Florida allegedly leads authorities in a high-speed, wrong-way chase down Interstate 35 in La Salle County, Texas, with a dozen migrants in tow.

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15-year-old human smuggling suspect leads Texas police on high-speed chase in car full of other illegal immigrants near US-Mexico border



A 15-year-old human smuggling suspect from Mexico led Texas police on a high-speed chase in a car full of other illegal immigrants near the U.S.-Mexico border Tuesday.

What happened?

The incident took place in Mission, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said. Mission is just west of McAllen on the border.

Trooper vehicle dashcam video caught the chase from beginning to end, some of it along U.S. Route 83 in Hidalgo County, the spokesman said.

The 15-year-old driver turned off a main road and attempted to evade police through a dirt road, the spokesman said. However, video shows the driver and seven other illegal immigrants bailing out of the vehicle along the dirt road and running toward brush; the clip also shows what appears to be another vehicle further in the distance down the dirt road — presumably another police vehicle — parked sideways and blocking passage.

Image source: Texas Department of Public Safety

Three occupants bailed out from the driver's side, and five occupants bailed out from the passenger side. All eight were apprehended, the spokesman said.

\u201c#RGV: A 15-year-old from Mexico led a @TxDPS Trooper on a high-speed chase in Mission. The driver & 7 illegal immigrants bailed out & ran - all were apprehended. The driver was charged w/ smuggling & evading. He was processed & booked into juvenile detention. #OperationLoneStar\u201d
— Chris Olivarez (@Chris Olivarez) 1676485577

The driver was charged with smuggling of persons and evading arrest, the spokesman said, adding that he was processed and booked into juvenile detention.

The other seven illegal immigrants were referred to U.S. Border Patrol, the spokesman said.

How are folks reacting?

A number of commenters on Twitter greeted the news with rather dark humor:

  • "Kid actually use[d] turn signal," one commenter quipped. "Might have a future with Uber or delivering pizzas in a few years."
  • "Could [have] planned that one better," another user mocked.
  • "Joe Biden, look at your accomplishments," another commenter declared.
  • "So now he gets 3 meals a day and air [conditioning]," another user noted.

Others were angry:

  • "It’s an adult crime; he should do adult time," another commenter wrote.
  • "Why blur the suspect’s face?" another user wondered. "He’s a Mexican national, and who knows his real age? Also he’ll be let out and be doing it again tomorrow."

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