Legal Showdown Erupts as San Diego Watches the Fallout from Texas
The administration of President Donald Trump will move forward with installing a controversial 27-kilometer (about 17 miles) floating buoy barrier in the Rio Grande (Río Bravo), in southern Texas, as reported yesterday by the Washington Examiner.
The decision comes amid ongoing legal disputes, after a federal judge previously ruled that the Trump administration may have committed “contempt of court” by ignoring an order that prohibited the deportation of migrants under a rarely used 1798 law.
Tom Homan, the White House’s border advisor, defended the plan:
“The buoys are an excellent border barrier concept,” he told the outlet, adding that the idea was already under evaluation during Trump’s first term.
“Governor Greg Abbott deployed them later and proved their effectiveness. Barriers like walls and buoys work. The data shows it,” he insisted.
Four anonymous officials confirmed that installation of the buoy barrier will begin next week in a section of the Rio Grande that has historically been a hotspot for irregular crossings.
Meanwhile, federal judge James E. Boasberg stated there is “probable cause” to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for violating his orders to stop deportations. The ruling came after the discovery that planes carrying deported migrants were sent to a prison in El Salvador despite a judicial ban.
Trump responded on social media:
“JUDGES ARE OUT OF CONTROL! They seem to hate ‘TRUMP’ so much that anything goes,”
and announced plans to appeal the decision.
The legal conflict intensified over the case of Kilmar Abrego García, a 29-year-old Salvadoran man deported on March 15 along with 260 others, even though a court had revoked his expulsion. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to demand Abrego’s release, but Vice President Félix Ulloa denied him access, claiming the Trump administration is paying the Salvadoran government to detain him in CECOT, the country’s maximum-security prison.
Van Hollen accused El Salvador of illegally holding Abrego, “a man with no charges, kidnapped due to an administrative error.”
Homan, however, labeled him “dangerous” and linked him—without evidence—to the MS-13 gang:
“We got rid of a threat,” he said.
While the buoy barrier is being deployed in Texas, this development reflects a broader shift in federal border enforcement strategy that could have ripple effects in other key border areas—including San Diego. Increased militarization and legal gray zones in one border region often set precedents for others, especially during politically charged administrations.
For residents and advocates in San Diego:
- Increased Pressure: Tougher measures in Texas may redirect migration routes westward, potentially increasing crossings and enforcement activity along the California-Mexico border.
- Legal Uncertainty: If the federal government is willing to defy court orders in Texas, similar conflicts may arise in California’s jurisdictions—affecting local immigration cases, deportations, and humanitarian aid work.
- Community Impact: San Diego’s border communities—home to large immigrant populations—may experience heightened tension, more raids, and strained cross-border relations.
San Diego should keep a close eye on border policy developments in other states, as they could be a preview of what’s to come locally.
Legal Showdown Erupts as San Diego Watches the Fallout from Texas
The administration of President Donald Trump will move forward with installing a controversial 27-kilometer (about 17 miles) floating buoy barrier in the Rio Grande (Río Bravo), in southern Texas, as reported yesterday by the Washington Examiner.
The decision comes amid ongoing legal disputes, after a federal judge previously ruled that the Trump administration may have committed “contempt of court” by ignoring an order that prohibited the deportation of migrants under a rarely used 1798 law.
Tom Homan, the White House’s border advisor, defended the plan:
“The buoys are an excellent border barrier concept,” he told the outlet, adding that the idea was already under evaluation during Trump’s first term.
“Governor Greg Abbott deployed them later and proved their effectiveness. Barriers like walls and buoys work. The data shows it,” he insisted.
Four anonymous officials confirmed that installation of the buoy barrier will begin next week in a section of the Rio Grande that has historically been a hotspot for irregular crossings.
Meanwhile, federal judge James E. Boasberg stated there is “probable cause” to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for violating his orders to stop deportations. The ruling came after the discovery that planes carrying deported migrants were sent to a prison in El Salvador despite a judicial ban.
Trump responded on social media:
“JUDGES ARE OUT OF CONTROL! They seem to hate ‘TRUMP’ so much that anything goes,”
and announced plans to appeal the decision.
The legal conflict intensified over the case of Kilmar Abrego García, a 29-year-old Salvadoran man deported on March 15 along with 260 others, even though a court had revoked his expulsion. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador to demand Abrego’s release, but Vice President Félix Ulloa denied him access, claiming the Trump administration is paying the Salvadoran government to detain him in CECOT, the country’s maximum-security prison.
Van Hollen accused El Salvador of illegally holding Abrego, “a man with no charges, kidnapped due to an administrative error.”
Homan, however, labeled him “dangerous” and linked him—without evidence—to the MS-13 gang:
“We got rid of a threat,” he said.
While the buoy barrier is being deployed in Texas, this development reflects a broader shift in federal border enforcement strategy that could have ripple effects in other key border areas—including San Diego. Increased militarization and legal gray zones in one border region often set precedents for others, especially during politically charged administrations.
For residents and advocates in San Diego:
- Increased Pressure: Tougher measures in Texas may redirect migration routes westward, potentially increasing crossings and enforcement activity along the California-Mexico border.
- Legal Uncertainty: If the federal government is willing to defy court orders in Texas, similar conflicts may arise in California’s jurisdictions—affecting local immigration cases, deportations, and humanitarian aid work.
- Community Impact: San Diego’s border communities—home to large immigrant populations—may experience heightened tension, more raids, and strained cross-border relations.
San Diego should keep a close eye on border policy developments in other states, as they could be a preview of what’s to come locally.
