Texas House candidate offers to lead ‘armed civilian militia’ to U.S.-Mexico border

Social media users roasted a right-wing conspiracy theorist running for the Texas House of Representatives after he offered his “services” in Gov. Greg Abbott’s border pissing match with the White House.

On Monday, Joshua Feuerstein, lead pastor of the evangelical AmericasChurch in Dallas-Fort Worth, tweeted his offer to participate in an armed standoff along the U.S.-Mexico border. Feuerstein, a 2020 election denier, is running as a Republican to represent Texas House District 4, northeast of Dallas.

“As an impending showdown with the federal government seems inevitable. [sic] Allow me to be the first to offer Gov. @GregAbbott_TX my services,” Feuerstein wrote. “Myself, along with several former special forces operators, are happy to lead an armed civilian militia to the border.”

The candidate, who’s endorsed by indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, said he prays armed conflict can be avoided but added that Texans must “defend ourselves from enemies both foreign and domestic.”

Folks on X, the platform previously known as Twitter, were quick to poke fun at the absurdity of Feuerstein’s post. Some even tagged the FBI; Department of Homeland Security; and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, accusing Feuerstein of making terroristic threats.

“You envision the [president] and the Federal Government as ‘enemies.’ You don’t belong on a ballot,”  user @yankinasia fired back at the Texas House candidate. “You belong in a jail cell for inciting an insurrection.”

User @doug_in_nc took aim at the large military-style weapon Feuerstein brandishes in the photo accompanying his tweet.

“If you carry a weapon that size, you must be compensating for something,” @doug_in_nc said.

Feuerstein issued his tweet shortly after a “Take Back Our Border” convoy of self-described “patriots” departed Norfolk, Virginia, for the U.S.-Mexico border. Although organizers initially said some 700,000 people were expected to attend protests in Texas, Arizona and California this weekend, Vice News reports that only a few dozen have so far joined the group.

The intensifying right-wing interest in the border showdown comes as Abbott declared he’ll ignore a recent U.S. Supreme Court order allowing federal Border Patrol agents to cut through razor wire deployed by the Texas Military Department as part of Operation Lone Star.

Despite the convoy’s dwindling numbers, the League of United Latin American Citizens condemned Abbott’s rhetoric in a statement Monday, accusing the Republican governor of inciting violence against Latinos. Abbott has repeatedly couched the rise in border crossings to an “invasion,” echoing a racist conspiracy theory that left-wing politicians encourage illegal immigration so they can rob the votes of patriotic Americans.

“We’ve seen death at the hands of shooters due to hate speech. We cannot forget what occurred at the Walmart in El Paso, Texas, just a few years ago,” LULAC National President Domingo Garcia said. “His speech is being used yet again to ratchet up anger and hatred that are putting Hispanic Texans, law enforcement, military service members, and innocent civilians in the crosshairs.”

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This article appears in Jan 24 – Feb 6, 2024.