The United States Coast Guard is conducting an unprecedented surge of force along 418 kilometers of the Rio Grande River to complement the activities of federal agencies to secure the Mexico-U.S. border. Operation River Wall, which includes quick response boats and tactical teams, began in October 2025 to further suppress illegal activity along the frontier. The exact number of vehicles and personnel has not been released, according to Stars and Stripes, a military affairs newspaper.
The Coast Guard patrols the river as it winds through Cameron and Hidalgo counties in southeast Texas, eventually entering the Gulf of America. In the first 10 days of deployment, Guardsmen assisted in detaining 20 illegal migrants, according to Stars and Stripes.
The Coast Guard has surged its presence in the eastern Pacific and the Gulf of America since early 2025 as the U.S. government shifted its focus to the security of the homeland. Unlike active-duty Soldiers, specialized Coast Guardsmen trained in interdiction and detention can make arrests and actively participate in stopping illegal activity. 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,” stated a March news release cited by ABC News.
The Coast Guard is cooperating with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency and aligning its operation with the mission to increase pressure on traffickers, who have tried to evade a more robust border protection presence on both sides of the 3,145-kilometer border. “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,” Adm. Kevin E. Lunday, acting commandant of the Coast Guard, said in a news release. “Through Operation River Wall, the Coast Guard is controlling the U.S. southern border along the Rio Grande River in eastern Texas.”
As the Coast Guard and other forces under the direction of the U.S. Northern Command secure the border, transnational criminal organizations seek alternate routes and new methods of surveillance and evasion. “The threat is evolving. It’s using different tactics and different procedures; they are bringing in new technologies that make it a little bit more challenging for law enforcement to apprehend. That’s the part that is changing and why we are surging in here,” Capt. Christopher Cumberland, commander of Coast Guard Forces Rio Grande, told reporters at an October news conference in Mission, Texas, according to Stars and Stripes. “We are deploying a range of assets, personnel and equipment appropriate to maximize coverage of the Rio Grande River in Eastern Texas. Due to operational security concerns, we cannot provide specific details about deployment numbers or specific locations,” the Coast Guard later stated in a release.
The Coast Guard announced response boats, shallow watercraft, command and control assets, and tactical teams will bolster resources to improve border security. “This represents an unprecedented commitment of Coast Guard personnel and resources to the Rio Grande region,” according to the Coast Guard’s October 20 release.