Mexican President blasts Gov. Greg Abbott over anti-immigration buoys

Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador in a Thursday press briefing slammed Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s decision to install anti-migrant buoys along the Rio Grande River, calling it “inhumane,” CNN reports.

The remarks come after bodies of two migrants were found dead yesterday in the Rio Grande — one stuck to the buoys and another in the general area of the devices. Abbott, a Republican, ordered the barrier installed last month to deter border crossers.

López Obrador warned that Abbott’s use of the buoys, which are strung with razor wire, violates Mexico’s “sovereignty and human rights,” according to CNN. He also demanded their removal.

In a brief written statement, Texas officials said they believe the person caught in the floating barrier died upstream.

The Mexican government has decried Abbott’s decision to float the buoys, arguing that the barrier violates two treaties between the countries. The Justice Department has also sued Texas over the buoys, saying they were illegally installed without federal permission.

Since then, the Mexican Secretary of Foreign Relations, Alicia Bárcena Ibarra, has stated that her country has sent its second diplomatic note to the U.S. complaining about the barriers, according to the same CNN report.
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This article appears in Jul 26 – Aug 8, 2023.