They’ve heard their president at political rallies rant and rave about the pending “invasion” of America, so now gun-carrying civilian groups and border vigilantes are packing coolers and heading to the border.
For weeks, with the midterm election in sight, Trump has offered up dire warnings about threats to American security posed by caravans of Central American migrants moving through Mexico.
Militia members have heard him, and are packing coolers and tents, oiling rifles and tuning up aerial drones, with plans to form caravans of their own and trail American troops to the border.
“We’ll observe and report, and offer aid in any way we can,” said Shannon McGauley, a bail bondsman in the Dallas suburbs who is president of the Texas Minutemen. McGauley said he was preparing to head for the Rio Grande in coming days. “We’ve proved ourselves before, and we’ll prove ourselves again.”
McGauley and others have been roused by Trump’s call to restore order and defend the country against what Trump has called “an invasion,” as thousands of Central American migrants advance slowly through southern Mexico toward the U.S. border.
Trump has insisted that “unknown Middle Easterners,” “very tough fighters,” and large numbers of violent criminals are traveling among the women, children and families heading north on foot.
The Trump administration last week deployed 5,200 U.S. troops to the border to stop the caravan.
By the end of the year, it plans to send as many as 15,000, which could reportedly cost taxpayers about $200 million.
Newsweek, citing internal documents it has obtained, reported last week that U.S. military officials are worried about “unregulated militia members self-deploying to the border in alleged support” of immigration authorities.
Officials reportedly said that 200 militia members are currently operating along the southwest border and warned about reports of “incidents of unregulated militias stealing National Guard equipment during deployments.”
The Texas Minutemen, according to McGauley, have 100 volunteers en route to the Rio Grande who want to help stop the migrants, with more likely on the way.
“I can’t put a number on it,” McGauley said. “My phone’s been ringing nonstop for the last seven days. You got other militias, and husbands and wives, people coming from Oregon, Indiana. We’ve even got two from Canada.”
Asked whether his group planned to deploy with weapons, McGauley laughed. “This is Texas, man,” he said.