A federal appeals court upheld a lower court ruling yesterday ordering Texas to remove the buoys installed in the waters of the Rio Grande, stating the state violated laws governing navigable waterways by placing the barriers along the border. Via The Hill:

In affirming an earlier ruling, the 2-1 decision from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the lower court properly considered “the threat to navigation and federal government operations on the Rio Grande as well as the potential threat to human life the floating barrier created.”

The floating buoys cover 1,000 feet in the Rio Grande with anchors in the riverbed. They are arranged in a chain stretching up- and down-river, each separated by a rounded blade with serrated edges similar to a circular saw.

The buoys were put in place around July 10, installed just days after four migrants, including an infant, drowned trying to cross the river. In August, authorities found a body floating near the buoys.