A number of community leaders from Eagle Pass, Texas, held a press conference on Friday to express their opposition to the 'Take Our Border Back' convoy, which is due to hold a rally near the town on Saturday.
The convoy set off from Virginia earlier this week to protest the Biden administration's policy on illegal immigration; it plans to hold three rallies on Saturday in Yuma, Arizona, and San Ysidro, California, as well as Eagle Pass. Initially, the convoy consisted of a few-dozen vehicles, but this had increased to several hundred and was still growing on Friday, according to CBS News.
Tensions in Texas surged after the Supreme Court ruled federal agents can remove razor wire placed along the state's southern border, on Texas Governor Greg Abbott's orders, in a ruling given on January 22. In response, Abbott said Texas was being subject to an "invasion" and involved the state's "constitutional authority to defend and protect itself."
Friday's press conference included short speeches, in both English and Spanish, from a number of prominent locals: Mike Garcia from the Eagle Pass chamber of commerce; Pastor Julio Vasquez who preaches at a Lutheran church in the town; and Jessie Fuentes, a retired educator and businessman.
Fuentes urged the convoy participants, some of whom have been calling themselves the 'God's Army' online, not to preach hate.
Fuentes said: "Anyone seeking to inform themselves and gain knowledge about the situation at the border is welcome into our community as long as you embrace our cultural diversity. This is our community; this is our house. Don't come here to preach hate. Respect and honor thy neighbor, and act accordingly."
Hitting out at Abbott, who instructed the state's national guard to place razor wire along the Texas-Mexico border, Fuentes added: "As a longtime resident... I've never been so appalled at a leader as our governor and what he's doing and how he's using our particular community for political theater."
Fuentes also criticized Texan authorities for taking over the nearby Shelby Park from which they then blocked access to federal agents, sparking controversy.
Fuentes said: "They've taken over a publicly funded park, our park, our history, our culture, that is where we convene, that is our green space, that is where we are connected to the river, and we don't have access to it. And if you take a walk and look down there, you can see that it's becoming a military base."
Another speaker was youth activist Amerika Garcia, who in 2020 campaigned for Shelby Park to be renamed; she said its current name reflects "an era of hate." Referring to Abbott inviting 14 Republican governors to the Texas-Mexico border over the weekend, Garcia said: "I'm kinda shocked that we have 15 governors coming down to Eagle Pass when they still have chores in their home states.
"They're not getting work done, they're not passing bills, and we're asking them stop making up fairy tales and get some work done," Garcia added.
Video of the event was posted on YouTube by Vote Common Good, a Christian group opposed to what they regard as far-right extremism. On its website, in reference to the convoy, the group said: "They use racist, antisemitic dog whistles like 'globalists' and spread lies about the security of our border."
Newsweek has contacted Take Our Border Back for comment by email. On its website, the group says it is calling "on our government to take action for 'We The People' and secure our southern border."
The organization came under criticism after a video emerged of a speaker making antisemitic remarks at one of its events in Texas, saying there are "terrorists coming across the border being funded by Jewish money."
Where Is Saturday's Texas Rally?
The 'Take Our Border Back' Texas rally on Saturday is taking place in Quemado, roughly 20 miles northeast of Eagle's Pass. The event is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. CST and continue until the evening.
Attendees are advised to "PACK YOUR CAMPERS, CARS, RVs & TRUCKS! BRING YOUR CHAIRS, COOLERS & A KIND HEART!"
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James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
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