Nebraska Governor Defends Circular Saw Migrant Buoys: 'Misrepresentation'

Nebraska's Republican Gov. Jim Pillen has spoken out in defense of controversial floating barriers, fitted with what critics have likened to circular saws, that have been placed in the Rio Grande in a bid to stop illegal immigration from Mexico.

Pillen claimed the buoys "don't cause a band aid," adding, "if they do I say, 'what the heck, stay on your side of the river.'" He was speaking on Monday when four Republican governors visited Texas to show their support for the border policies of Gov. Greg Abbott, who introduced the floating barriers.

The Department of Justice is currently suing the state of Texas over the barriers, which Texas Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat, claimed are "meant to inflict physical harm to asylum seekers," during an interview with Newsweek.

On Monday, Pillen was one of four Republican governors who joined Abbott on the Texas southern border in a high-profile show of support. Also in attendance were Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt and Kristi Noem of South Dakota.

At a press conference by the border, Pillen hit out at what he called the "absolute misrepresentation of the buoys," which he branded "hogwash."

Pillen continued: "The buoys are a deterrent, they don't cause a band aid and if they do I say 'what the heck, stay on your side of the river.'"

The governor also claimed there has been a "misrepresentation of who's coming [over the border]," adding: "I mean we are fighting cartels that are trying to kill our kids. That's one thing in the United States we all surely agree on, right, is our kids."

He concluded: "Biden administration, federal government, do your dadgum job...follow the leadership of Gov. Abbott."

Earlier this month, Mexican authorities claimed they had recovered two bodies from the Rio Grande, one of which was on one of the floating buoys.

However, Andrew Mahaleris, a spokesman for Abbott, denied any migrants had died as a result of the buoys.

Speaking to Newsweek he said: "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."

A spokesperson for engineering firm Cochrane Global confirmed to Newsweek by telephone that it had produced the floating buoys, but said the company is "not really commenting at the moment."

Law enforcement detained 99,545 people on suspicion of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border in June, a 42 percent reduction from May's figure and the first time fewer than 100,000 have been detained in a month since February 2021.

A Newsweek poll by Redfield & Wilton Strategies conducted in July found that 62 percent of Americans, including 52 percent of people who voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, do not think the U.S. currently has control over its borders. Another 35 percent of those said it does, with the remaining 13 percent answering, "don't know." The survey was conducted over two days and questioned 1,500 eligible voters.