A thousand feet of buoys were tossed into the Rio Grande Thursday in Eagle Pass in the latest effort to deter border crossings.

The deployment began last week as part of Operation Lone Star. While a private company is installing the buoys, the state and its taxpayers are funding the operation.

According to the office of Gov. Greg Abbott, the cost of installing the buoys is less than $1 million. 

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The marine barrier is one of the latest efforts by the state to secure the border, but human rights activists says this move will put migrants in danger.

“This is crazy and dangerous, this is one other obstacle that immigrant families and refugees are facing when they come and look for asylum or for protection,” Border Network for Human Rights Executive Director Fernando García said. “This is a state policy that is putting children, migrant women at risk …it is increasing the chances of migrants to die by drowning."

The owner of a canoe and kayaking company in El Paso filed a lawsuit, claiming the governor is overstepping his authority.

Abbott previously pledged to take any legal challenges over the buoys to the Supreme Court.