A large crowd of individuals gathered on a remote Texas ranch to protest the president and those who have crossed the neighboring Rio Grande into the United States, with Trump 2024 banners flying alongside Christian flags.
Many of the attendees of the “Take Our Border Back” demonstration on Friday in the border town of Quemado claimed to be Christians peacefully protesting illegality. The protest grounds had musicians, merchants, political placards, and colorful apparel that stood in stark contrast to the armament, camouflage uniforms, and razor wire that were positioned at the border crossing in Eagle Pass, 20 miles south.
When the group combined onto a two-lane country road at around 8 p.m. local time on Friday, they formed a lengthy line of primarily private or hired automobiles and recreational vehicles.
One by one, they crept through the single open door onto the grounds, accompanied by a guy on horseback carrying the Christian flag, which is a white banner with a red cross and blue square in the top left corner. The group also included three commercial vehicles and a couple buses.
Originally planned to consist of 700,000 trucks traveling from Virginia to three border crossing locations, the convoy never happened.
People did, however, join along the route in Texas, using trucks carrying tents and passenger cars as well as recreational vehicles. Organizers estimated that the convoy totaled about 200 when they crossed the border into Texas. NBC News saw at least 100 cars, but it was impossible to independently confirm that figure.
Dorothy Richards, a 67-year-old New Braunfels retiree, arrived ahead of the convoy at Dripping Springs, Texas, which is close to Austin, where she had attended a leg of the convoy’s rally. In Dripping Springs, the organizers of Take Our Border Back hosted an event in a whiskey distillery, where, according to Richards, complimentary beer mugs were distributed.
She held a Texas flag on Friday, but then changed it to a banner endorsing Texas Governor Greg Abbott during his immigration spat with President Joe Biden.
Richards’ sign said, “Governor Abbott & TX NG [National Guard] SECURE THE BORDER.”
Abbott has been transferring immigrants who are permitted to wait for hearings in the United States to Democratic-led communities and running his own border patrol, which has caused friction between the Biden administration and Abbott on the enforcement of immigration rules. Abbott is deploying the Texas National Guard and state police to erect razor wire along the border and to detain individuals who are entering the country illegally. Agents of the Border Patrol have stated that some activities are preventing them from carrying out their duties.
Richards stated that civil war may result from the immigration dispute, but she believed it was essential. “What actions will we take? “Should we take a backseat and allow illegal immigration to occur?” she questioned.
With flags, MAGA caps, and even a cardboard Trump, the gathering might have easily been mistaken for a Trump rally. A hearse emblazoned with “Trump 2024” on the front door and “collecting Democrat votes one dead stiff at a time” in all capital letters on the back was one example of how some went above and above.
Alma Arredondo-Lynch, 67, of Concan, Texas, strolled about the ranch’s grounds sporting a wide-brimmed hat and a rhinestone “Women For Trump” brooch. Bright sunshine and high temperatures on Saturday had chased away the rain and lightning that had fallen on Friday evening.
“Sovereignty, in my opinion, cannot exist without a boundary. Additionally, we won’t be polite if we lack sovereignty, the speaker stated. According to her, drug cartels control and own the border.
