EXCLUSIVE — The Trump administration will soon install more than 500 miles of buoy barrier at the United States-Mexico border, marking the first time the U.S. government has used a water-based defense system to stop illegal immigration, the Border Patrol’s national chief told the Washington Examiner.

Construction teams will start dropping the red-orange floating devices in the Rio Grande along Texas’ southern border in early 2026, Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks said.