DHS Installing 17 Miles of Border Buoys

The Department of Homeland Security is installing 17 miles of waterborne barriers in the Rio Grande near Brownsville as a deterrent to illegal border crossings. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem signed a waiver to expedite construction.

The state installed 1,000 feet of buoys near Eagle Pass in 2023 at a cost of $1 million. The Biden administration sued to remove the barrier, but it remained in place through a series of rulings and appeals. After President Trump’s return to office, Gov. Greg Abbott announced he would be adding more buoys.

The announcement follows news that apprehensions of illegal immigrants at the southern border reached an all-time low of 6,070 in June. “The world is hearing our message: the border is closed to law breakers,” said Noem.

Meanwhile, the Texas Health and Human Services Commission released data that illegal immigrants accounted for more than 100,000 hospital visits between November 2024 and February 2025 at a cost of $434 million. The information is being collected in accordance with a directive issued by Abbott last August.

‘Biggest Structure In The World’

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has said the new $250 million Gigabay factory being built at the company’s launch site in Starbase is designed to produce 1,000 Starship rockets a year and could be “one of the biggest structures in the world.” A similar facility is being built in Florida.

Musk made the remarks during a May 29 company meeting in which he discussed his vision for establishing a self-sustaining colony on Mars. Two days earlier, the ninth Starship test flight ended in the destruction of the rocket and Super Heavy booster.

“These numbers, while they are insanely high by traditional space standards, are achievable by humans because they have been achieved in other industries,” Musk said during the meeting, which was posted to social media.

Work on the 700,000-square-foot factory has already begun. A 24/7 livestream of several sites at Starbase can be viewed on the independent media platform LabPadre.

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➤ Another lawsuit has been filed to block a new Texas law requiring the Ten Commandments to be posted in every public school classroom. The ACLU of Texas sued 11 school districts on behalf of 16 families. (See Details)

➤ Frio County: Nine more people have been indicted in an alleged vote-harvesting scheme that has already implicated six others. Among the new suspects are two former mayors, Pearsall ISD trustee Maricela Garcia Benavides, and Frio County commissioner Raul Carrizales III. (More)

➤ Austin: ElliCor, a Houston-based toy store that sells collectibles like the popular Labubu dolls, opened its seventh store in Texas last weekend. Customers formed a line that wrapped around the building. (See Videos)

➤ Fort Worth: Merit Street Media, the TV network founded in 2023 by celebrity psychologist Dr. Phil McGraw, has filed for bankruptcy and is suing Trinity Broadcasting Network, its launch partner, over failed distribution promises. (More)

➤ Amarillo: Union members at the Tyson Foods meatpacking plant have ratified a new four-year collective bargaining agreement that includes a 32% pay raise, additional time off, and expanded retirement benefits. Members had threatened to strike last week. (More)

➤ Houston: A resident walked out his front door Tuesday to find a large alligator sunbathing in his front yard. A Harris County constable posted a video showing the removal of the “glorious beast.” (Watch Video)

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➤ Houston and Dallas are the best places to celebrate the Fourth of July in Texas, ranking 39th and 40th in the country, according to a new WalletHub report. (More)

➤ The H-E-B Independence Day Celebration at Woodlawn Lake Park in San Antonio features carnival rides, wrestling matches, a food fair, and fireworks. It’s one of several Fourth of July events in the area. (See Events)

➤ It will cost you to see Willie Nelson’s annual Fourth of July Picnic in Austin, but there are plenty of free events in the area as well, including a laser light show in Hutto, a BBQ cook-off in Kingsland, and a performance by the Austin Symphony Orchestra during a fireworks show in downtown Austin. (More)

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