'Take Back Our Border' convoy heads for Texas border town of Eagle Pass

At least 17 vehicles departed the Norfolk, Virginia, Monday for the U.S.-Mexico border as part of a self-described "Take Back Our Border" convoy, as chronicled on social media by independent journalist Ford Fischer.

Convoy participants plan to meet others along the way during a stopover in Jacksonville, Florida. From there, the group will split up, driving to Yuma, Arizona; San Ysidro, California; or Shelby Park, the 47-acre green space in Eagle Pass, Texas, that's become ground zero for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's immigration standoff with the federal government.

Live: “Take Our Border Back” Convoy to Texas begins in Virginia https://t.co/PR7a048ksX

— Ford Fischer (@FordFischer) January 29, 2024

Members of the convoy plan to hold protests Saturday, Feb. 3, at the three border crossings, according to Vice News. A similar convoy is expected to depart the Texas Hill Country town of Dripping Springs in coming days, but organizers haven't stated which border town they're targeting, according to chat logs obtained by the Current.

Those participating in the convoy departing Virginia were light on details about what they hope to accomplish once they arrive in Eagle Pass, a border town of some 30,000, mostly Latinx residents. However, a few told independent journalist Fischer they plan to report  "real news" about what's happening on the border — whatever that means.

The convoy's departure comes a week after the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 emergency order, declared that U.S. Border Patrol agents can cut through concertina wire Abbott ordered deployed as part of his multi-billion dollar Operation Lone Star border crackdown. The U.S. Constitution describes immigration enforcement as a federal responsibility, and courts have repeatedly upheld that reading.

The high court's ruling came days after Abbott kicked federal agents out of Shelby Park, which Border Patrol had previously used to process migrants crossing the Rio Grande. Biden gave Abbott a deadline last week to relinquish control of the park. The governor responded with a letter invoking the Confederate Theory of Secession in his argument as to why Texas should control the property.

The situation in Eagle Pass has right-wing social media posters frothing at the mouth at the prospect of a second American Civil War. Some are referring to the matter as the "Lone Star Rebellion."

Indeed, a newly posted Wikipedia article titled "Standoff at Eagle Pass" describes the standoff — regarded by serious scholars as an Abbott publicity stunt — in violent terms appropriate for an armed conflict, complete with "belligerents" and "casualties" lists.

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a Republican Abbott ally, stopped short of invoking such violent imagery during an appearance on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures.

When anchor Maria Bartiromo asked Patrick whether the situation would turn into "a civil war," he said the state isn't seeking  conflict with the Biden Administration but reiterated Abbott's argument for Texas' right to secure its border.

"We believe constitutionally we are right, we have a right to defend our citizens, we have a right to defend this country, and we are just doing our job," Patrick said. "These young women and men who serve our National Guard and our DPS, these are the best of the best. Why would [Biden] want to send anyone down to confront them?"

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