Texas will deploy chains of specially designed buoys down the middle of the Rio Grande to deter migrants from crossing illegally, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday.

The system is part of six bills Abbott signed related to border security.

RELATED: Valley immigrant advocacy group condemns Abbott’s new border security efforts

The International Boundary and Water Commission —the agency in charge of the U.S. side of the Rio Grande — called the announcement a “surprise.”

“We are studying what Texas is proposing to determine whether and how this impacts our mission to carry out treaties between the US and Mexico,” IBWC spokesperson Frank fisher said in a statement.

The first thousand feet of buoys will be put up near Eagle Pass.

Read the full statement from the IBWC below:

“This announcement by the governor caught us by surprise. Our door is always open to discussions with Texas, and we have recently shared information with them about our permitting process and federal law. We are studying what Texas is proposing to determine whether and how this impacts our mission to carry out treaties between the US and Mexico regarding border delineation, flood control, and water distribution, which includes the Rio Grande.”