Texas Won't Build Any More Border Wall After Erecting About a Tenth Of What It Originally Intended To

Texas officials said no more border wall will be built in the state after wrapping up the last existing project, according to a new report.

William McKerrall, interim executive director for the Texas Facilities Commission, which has overseen contracts to build the wall, said "we're right at the end of this journey," according to Border Report.

The project ends with about a tenth of what it sought out to build when the project was approved. Concretely, a little over 82 miles of wall were built at a cost of about $3 billion, compared to the 805 miles initially approved.

The decision to stop funding the border took place last June. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott spokesman Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement back then that the Trump administration's work to secure the border allowed the state to shift efforts. "Texas will continue to maintain a robust presence with our federal partners to arrest, jail, and deport illegal immigrants," Mahaleris said.

However, authorities continue erecting barriers to prevent border crossings. Earlier this year the Department of Homeland Security began setting up buoys in the Rio Grande to build a floating barrier system.

The installation is part of what DHS has dubbed "Operation River Wall," a U.S. Coast Guard–led initiative intended to deter illegal migration as well as drug and human smuggling. Now former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said at a Jan. 7 news conference that construction of the buoy system began in January and is designed to eventually span about 500 miles of the border.

"These barriers ... are going to save lives," Noem said at the time, arguing that the system would discourage dangerous river crossings while making it more difficult for smugglers to operate. DHS officials said the first buoys were deployed earlier this month between Brownsville and Matamoros, Mexico.

In this context, a report by The Texas Tribune and the nonprofit Inside Climate News notes the barriers are already disrupting the Rio Grande's ecosystem.

Since announcing the plan, the report highlights, DHS has waived environmental laws and has not conducted environmental assessments or flood modeling, as experts warn the cylindrical barriers could intensify flooding and alter the river channel.

Other experts consulted about the barriers said they could speed up floodwater in a region already prone to flooding, as well as accumulate sediment and create new landforms along the river.