‘Take Our Border Back’ Convoy Pushes Through on Day Two of Travels

Texas National Guardsmen add razor wire and barriers along the U.S.–Mexico border in Shelby Park, Eagle Pass, Texas, on Jan. 23, 2024. Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times

A grassroots group that has organized a convoy to the southern border took off from Jacksonville, Florida, on Tuesday, January 30, en route to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on day two of their week-long trek across the southern United States.

The convoy, dubbed “Take Our Border Back,” kicked off on Jan. 29 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and will commence with three events on Feb. 3 near the border in Texas, Arizona, and California.

The group is seeking to bring attention to the border crisis as tensions rise between the state of Texas and the federal government.

“Change is hard in this country, and the people in it are used to being divided,” Mr. YG Nyghtstorm, who is riding in the leading vehicle with event organizers, told participants before leaving Florida on Tuesday morning. “They are used to hating each other for different reasons, for political reasons. But this isn’t about politics. This is about our faith, our families and our country, and we are going to evangelize first. We protect our border, though we also evangelize, and we push the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.”

Mr. Nyghtstorm continued, saying the point of the rally was not to inspire hate but “protecting our home.”

“This is about protecting our home and also sending out that message of love, peace and grace with no violence,” he continued to the group. “That is how we talk to these folks. They may not get it, but you plant the seeds because one day, in fact, somebody had to plant that seed on you.”

In a livestream Tuesday evening, organizers said there were around 100 vehicles in the convoy as they had a pit stop in Alabama as they neared Louisiana, adding that cars were beginning to “cascade” in.

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Biden Administration to allow federal agents to remove razor wire installed along the border at the request of Gov. Greg Abbott.

Federal agents are still not being allowed into Shelby Park, Texas, to conduct their normal operations in defiance of the high court’s January 22 ruling. The Biden administration is weighing whether to pursue legal action against the state after giving Texas officials a deadline to allow agents into the area.

Convoy Pushes Ahead

Live streams of the convoy traveling showed several vehicles en route to Louisiana through Alabama and Mississippi on Tuesday.

“‘We The People’ are uniting all concerned citizens residing in the United States of America who have First Amendment right to PEACEFULLY gather and protest,” the organizers of the Take Our Border Back wrote in a press release.

Their next stop will be in Dripping Springs, Texas, on Wednesday night as some people hang behind for the rally in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Saturday as others make their way to Yuma, Arizona, and San Ysidro, CA.

Organizer Noél Roberts of Arizona previously told The Epoch Times there had been false reports that the convoy plans to line up along the border and engage with illegal immigrants attempting to cross into the United States.

“First of all, we’re not going to be on the line of the border,” she said, adding that participants would not be engaging with anyone who is illegally crossing into the country. “We deeply respect [law enforcement] and will never infringe on that.”

She added other reports were incorrect and portrayed the event as being comprised of only truckers in big rigs.

“This is an all-American convoy: trucks, cars, bikes, families ... this is just people that are going to get together on the third [of February],” she said. “We’re trying to unite the people who are afraid to leave their houses and have their voices heard.”

What Led to The Convoy

Ms. Roberts told The Epoch Times the event was prompted by a group of friends who recently toured the southern border.

“They decided to put something together to help highlight the problems that we all know—from living in the southern states—exist,” she said.

Ms. Roberts, a first-generation American, said she supports immigration when it is done legally.

“So, we just want them to come in legally, not stop them permanently,” Ms. Roberts said. “I’m a first-generation [American], daughter of an immigrant from Syria. This is personal for me.

“My dad came legally, and all eight of his brothers came legally. They all had a job the day they got to America,” she explained. “They were sponsored. They went through immigration. ... They got their citizenship ... so I know it can be done.”

Ms. Roberts added that the organizers aim to “unite our voices” so that elected officials can hear from those who put them in office to secure and protect the border.

Supreme Court Ruling

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled in favor of the Biden administration to allow federal agents to cut the razor wire Texas installed along the border in an attempt to slow illegal crossings.

The Republican governor issued a statement last week regarding the state’s “constitutional right to defend and protect” its border.

“The Executive Branch of the United States has a constitutional duty to enforce federal laws protecting States, including immigration laws on the books right now,” the statement reads. “President Biden has refused to enforce those laws and has even violated them. The result is that he has smashed records for illegal immigration.”

The statement accused the president of violating his “oath to faithfully execute immigration laws enacted by Congress.”

Since President Biden took office in 2021, “more than six million illegal immigrants have crossed our southern border,” Mr. Abbott wrote.

Last week, more than a dozen Democrats crossed party lines and voted with Republicans calling on the Biden administration to enforce immigration laws.

“Most of us understand that nations need borders, those borders should be secured, and we should enforce the immigration laws on the books,” said Congressman Jared Goldman (D-Maine), who was among the 14 Democrats who voted for the GOP-led resolution, The Hill reported. “Most of us also understand that those seeking entry to our country deserve an orderly and predictable immigration process. Right now, we have problems on both fronts.”

“Illegal immigration threatens our national security and undermines American jobs,” Mr. Golden continued. “It’s time for Congress and the Biden administration to come together to pass legislation to meaningfully address issues at the border. It should be a top priority in Washington, just like it is in most of America.”

Those who wish to participate in the Take Our Border Back Convoy can find additional details, including route maps, on the group’s website, takeourborderback.com, and various social media platforms.

Jana J. Pruet contributed to this report.