U.S. Coast Guard Joins Border Patrol To Boost River Security

The US Border Patrol has some extra help along the Rio Grande these days as the United States Coast Guard joins in on "Operation River Wall".

Operation River Wall adds more coverage to almost 300 miles of the Rio Grande, from Matamoros up to about Roma. You can see a map here.

The El Paso sector, the borders deadliest area, isn't part of this operation. Why? There could be more than one reason but I'm going to go with the fact that our section of the Rio Grande doesn't have any water in it ...

Recent attempts to block off the Rio Grande from illegal crossers have included extra law enforcement personnel, closing off public areas, the use of Texas National Guard members and a long string of balloons.

READ MORE: Border Ghost Stories

Here Comes The Coast Guard

The move, according to the Coast Guard, also puts more tactical teams and other resources in the area to combat any drug smuggling that occurs. Since the start of the administration, the Coast Guard has "tripled" its presence and patrols along the southern border with several surge operations on the West Coast. - abcnews

How Effective Has "Operation River Wall" Been?

So far, it seems like Operation River Wall is doing pretty good.

The Coast Guard has "diverted aircraft, cutters, small boats and crews under its operational control to the southern border, increasing the illegal alien apprehension rates by 75% with multiple smuggling attempts continuing to occur each night," according to a news release from March. - abcnews