Democrats tour Rio Grande amid criticism of recently installed buoys, razor wire

A group of congressional Democrats visited the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday to tour the recently constructed barriers on the Rio Grande River and look into other controversial border security measures put in place by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R).

The group, led by Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), included fellow Reps. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas) and Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez (D), according to a release. The group visited the border along the Eagle Pass portion, which Gutierrez represents.

The barriers, installed as part of a Texas anti-illegal immigration effort known as “Operation Lone Star,” have received criticism from both those inside the government and those on the outside. The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit against Texas for the barriers late last month, alleging Abbott “flouted federal law” by installing the measures “without obtaining the required federal authorization.”

“Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) led a congressional delegation (CODEL) to Eagle Pass, Texas,” a statement from Castro’s office read. “The purpose of the delegation was for legislators to see the deadly razor wire and buoys that Texas Governor Abbott installed in the Rio Grande as part of Operation Lone Star and to engage with local leaders and community members about the impact of Operation Lone Star on asylum-seekers and federal immigration enforcement.”

A few of the lawmakers who visited the border appeared to post reactions from their visit. Garcia posted a video on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, of what seemed to be the barriers.

“Appalled by the ongoing cruel and inhumane tactics employed by @GovAbbott at the Texas border,” the caption of her post read. “The situation’s reality is unsettling as these buoys’ true danger and brutality come to light. We must stop this NOW!”

Gutierrez, a candidate running against Sen. Ted Cruz (R) in 2024 for his seat, called Operation Lone Star a “failure” in posts on X and Facebook tied to his visit.

“Standing alongside members of the Texas Congressional delegation today in Eagle Pass to discuss the failure of Operation Lone Star and the humanitarian crisis Greg Abbott and his allies have inflicted on our border,” he said.

Jackson Lee posted a video of herself on social media looking out at what appeared to be the floating barriers, calling for more “humane treatment” when it comes to immigration.

“We are seeing clearly what Abbott’s Operation Lone Star program is doing to women and children,” the caption on her post read. “The inhumane treatment from this program is not solving our immigration problem but is causing a spectacle at the border.”

Castro also posted commentary on social media, sharing wa video of himself in front of the buoys and later showing more of what he said is a “public park.” In the video, he called the floating barriers, razor wire and Abbott’s border operation as a whole “barbaric.”

“Everyone needs to see what I saw in Eagle Pass today,” the post’s caption reads. “Clothing stuck on razor wire where families got trapped. Chainsaw devices in the middle of buoys. Land seized from US citizens.”

“Operation Lone Star is barbaric — and @GovAbbott is making border communities collateral damage,” he added.