Texas congressman says border buoy barrier includes 'chainsaw-type devices'

Border accusations face rebuke from governor

A Texas congressman claims "chainsaw type devices" are attached to Gov. Abbott's buoy barrier in the Rio Grande. That accusation was met with a strong rebuke from the governor's office today.

TEXAS - U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) says "chainsaw-type devices" are attached to a border buoy barrier deployed in the Rio Grande at the U.S.-Mexico border.

This claim has been met with a strong rebuke from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office.

The marine barrier system is currently the focus of a federal lawsuit filed against the state of Texas by the Justice Department. The floating wall is about three football fields long and was placed in the Rio Grande to push migrants to a point where they can be picked up by authorities or an international bridge.

DOJ sues Abbott over floating border wall

The Department of Justice is suing Governor Abbott for the installation of the border buoys going into parts of the Rio Grande.

A spokesperson for Abbott's office sent a statement to FOX 7 Austin, claiming Democrats and President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico are "spreading false information":

"President Lopez Obrador and Democrats spreading false information that Texas’ marine barriers caused any death are flat-out wrong. Where was this outrage from Democrats when President Biden’s reckless open border policies encouraged migrants to make the dangerous and illegal trek across the border, ultimately taking the lives of over 850 migrants last year? These marine barriers help deter illegal river crossings, redirecting migrants to use one of the 29 international bridges on the Texas-Mexico border where they can safely and legally cross. No one drowns on a bridge.

As President Biden pulls Border Patrol agents off the border, Governors across the country are answering Governor Abbott’s call to send support to boost Texas National Guard soldiers and DPS troopers working under Operation Lone Star to hold the line. Under the Governor's historic border mission, Texas is utilizing every tool and strategy to secure the border in the Biden Administration's absence, allocating more than $9 billion of Texas taxpayer money for border security, busing migrants to self-declared sanctuary cities, installing strategic barriers, and building our own border wall. Until President Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue taking historic action to respond to this ongoing crisis and protect Texans."

Castro posted a video on his social media Wednesday, showing a stack of buoys.

"The state says that they're not a danger to anybody. Now, when you look right here at this chainsaw type device and then if you come right over here, you can see in the distance the razor wire, all that razor wire, right against the river," said Castro.

Castro continued to condemn the use of the razor wire and the use of private property for Operation Lone Star.

"It's incredibly dangerous, incredibly inhumane. And that's the reason that I’ve said that it's barbaric because it is," he said in the video.

Abbott's border advisor Mike Banks posted a response to Castro Thursday afternoon, claiming that because of President Biden’s open border policies more than 850,000 migrants died last year while attempting illegal crossings.

So far this year, according to Banks, 570,000 have died.

Banks went on to state that the number of deaths caused by the border buoys is zero.