OCTOBER 22, 2025 – The Coast Guard announced yesterday the deployment of additional forces to the Rio Grande River in eastern Texas, starting on October 9, 2025, to ensure operational control of the border where the President has declared a national emergency.
This surge operation – known as Operation River Wall – will bolster ongoing Coast Guard efforts to control, secure and defend approximately 260 miles of the Rio Grande River that makes up the U.S. border there.
Leveraging its unmatched expertise, authorities and capabilities, the Coast Guard will deter, interdict, and defeat illegal immigration, drug smuggling, and other threats to our communities.
“U.S. Coast Guard is the best in the world at tactical boat operations and maritime interdiction at sea, along our coasts, and in riverine environments,” said Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, Acting Commandant of the Coast Guard. “Through Operation River Wall, the Coast Guard is controlling the U.S. southern border along the Rio Grande River in eastern Texas.”
As part of this mobilization, the Coast Guard is deploying additional response boats, shallow watercraft, command and control assets, and tactical teams in support of national security objectives.
This represents an unprecedented commitment of Coast Guard personnel and resources to the Rio Grande region.
The Coast Guard is leading operations, working with U.S. Border Patrol and the Department of War under U.S. Northern Command, to control, secure, and defend the U.S. border along the Rio Grande River in Cameron and Hidalgo counties in eastern Texas, extending to the sea.
About the U.S. Coast Guard
With more than 95,000 miles of shoreline, 25,000 miles of navigable rivers and 4.5 million square miles of U.S. exclusive economic zone, the U.S. Coast Guard defends the Nation, protects the marine transportation system, regulates and safeguards ports and waterways, leads the Nation in drug interdiction and secures the maritime border. As a member of the joint force, a law enforcement organization, a regulatory agency and a member of the U.S. intelligence community, the Coast Guard employs a unique mix of authorities to ensure the safety and integrity of the maritime domain to protect the economic and national security of the nation. The more than 76,000 members of the Coast Guard operate a multi-mission, interoperable fleet of more than 220 cutters, 185 fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, 1,300 boats and its own dedicated cyber command to protect critical maritime infrastructure.
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