‘We’ve had enough’: 700,000-strong convoy prepares to join border standoff

A trucking convoy of over 700,000 vehicles is expected to make its way to the US southern border Monday to join an escalating standoff against the federal government.

Over 25 states have so far declared their support for Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is defying the Biden administration by placing razor wire along the border to block illegal immigrants from entering the US via Eagle Pass. 

Approximately eight million migrants have illegally entered the country through the southern border under the Biden administration. Many believe the open border policy is designed to augment the power of the Democratic Party, which counts Mexican and South American immigrants as a key demographic. Florida’s border, on the other hand, remains secure against Cubans, who predominantly vote Republican.

The Department of Homeland Security previously ordered Abbott to remove the razor wire barrier. The order was backed by a Supreme Court ruling issued last week allowing federal agents to cut the barrier down. But Abbott is openly defying both branches of the federal government and has ordered the National Guard to continue installing razor wire barricades.

To support his decision, Abbott released a statement last week in which he called Biden a “lawless president.” The governor declared an invasion and invoked clauses in the Constitution granting states the authority to protect their borders.

Abbott told Tucker Carlson on Friday that Texas is “prepared” for conflict with the federal government. Ten states have so far sent National Guard troops or other law enforcement to Texas as reinforcements.

Now, as concerns about a second civil war mount, taxpayers are joining the fray. Over 700,000 vehicles from around the country are expected to join the “Take Our Border Back” (TOBB) protest convoy Monday. The convoy has scheduled meetup points at several border crossings including Eagle Pass, Texas; San Ysidro, California; and Yuma, Arizona.

TOBB organizers — who were reportedly also behind the “People’s Convoy” that protested COVID-19 mandates in 2022 — are calling on “all active & retired law enforcement and military, Veterans, Mama Bears, elected officials, business owners, ranchers, truckers, bikers, media and LAW ABIDING, freedom-loving Americans” to participate in “peaceful assembly and prayer.”

“These people are committed to a peaceful demonstration that we’ve had enough,” Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) told Fox News last week. “The American people have had enough. We’re demanding that the Biden administration do its job, enforce the laws on the books and secure our border.

“Eight million people during the Biden Administration? That’s more than the population of Ohio. This is the time for us to rise up as the American people and demand that our president do his job. This should be a peaceful movement of the American people joined by other nations if they want to come.”

Self says the convoy is being joined by Canadian truckers as well.

The Biden administration on Friday gave Texas a 24-hour deadline to remove all razor wire from the Eagle Pass border crossing. Abbott has refused.

It is unclear what the federal government’s next move will be. Democrat officials are calling on Biden to federalize the National Guard, though a president is only permitted to do so in certain cases. 

The US Border Patrol has expressed support for the National Guard and signaled it is prepared to refuse orders from the federal government to arrest National Guardsmen for doing their duty.

“Rank-and file BP agents are not going to start arresting TX NG members for following their LAWFUL orders. That’s fake news,” the US Border Patrol Union tweeted in a statement. “TX NG and rank-and-file BP agents work together and respect each other’s jobs. Period. If TX NG members have LAWFUL orders, then they have to carry out those orders.”

“Rank-and-file BP agents appreciate and respect what TX has been doing to defend their state in the midst of this catastrophe that the Biden Admin has unleashed on America,” the union added.

The 25 states supporting Texas are: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming.