Today, following claims that buoy barriers and concertina wire are designed to “maim or kill” illegal immigrants, Distinguished Senior Fellow for Border Security Rodney Scott released the following statement:

“During my time as Border Patrol Chief, we tested several variations of buoy barrier features, including what some refer to as a “saw blade.” This classification is inaccurate, and designed to hide the true purpose of the barriers, which is to save migrant lives.

“The metal dick on the buoy barrier system deployed by Texas is actually a passive radial disc, strictly designed to be an anti-climb deterrent. Border Patrol personnel tested the barriers, and the disks, personally and determined that the blades would make climbers uncomfortable, but would not break the skin or injure a person.