A woman who took part in a convoy seeking to protest migrants illegally crossing into the U.S. said what she saw at the southern border was “not as bad” as she had feared.
The “Take Our Border Back” convoy set off from Virginia earlier this week for Eagle Pass, Texas—the site of an ongoing standoff between Texas and President Joe Biden’s administration over immigration enforcement.
The convoy split to hold three rallies on Saturday, one near Eagle Pass and others in Yuma, Arizona and San Ysidro, California.
While the convoy’s organizers said the rallies aimed to “shed light on the obvious dangers posed by wide open” borders, one member of the convoy admitted on Saturday that the reality of what she saw at the border was a far cry from the “invasion” touted by some officials.
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“It’s pretty surreal. We actually made it into Eagle Pass and we went and saw Shelby Park,” a woman named Misty told an MSNBC reporter during the rally in Quemado, Texas, according to a clip shared by Meidas Touch, a liberal news outlet.
“I was able to see some people actually trying to cross and stopped at the wire there… It’s very eye-opening.”
Asked if what she saw was better or worse than she expected, Misty said: “It’s not what I expected. But then again, I don’t know what I expected. I can tell you it’s not as bad as what I thought. So that’s kind of eye-opening in itself, too.”
Newsweek has contacted the convoy’s organizers for comment via email.
Republicans have been cheering Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in his feud with the Biden administration.
The governor has continued to deny U.S. Border Patrol agents entry to Shelby Park, one of the busiest locations for people attempting to cross into the U.S. illegally from Mexico.
Last month, the Supreme Court ruled that federal agents could resume cutting razor wire that Texas installed along the border with Mexico, including in Shelby Park. The razor wire was among a series of aggressive measures, including a floating barrier installed in the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass, that Abbott has taken at the border in a bid to curb illegal crossings.
Abbott said he would continue implementing immigration measures, saying Texas had a “constitutional right to self-defense.” His stance was backed by 25 Republican governors, who said in a joint statement that Biden had “left Americans and our country completely vulnerable to unprecedented illegal immigration pouring across the Southern border.”
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.