Migrants wait in line by the border fence under the watch of the Texas National Guard to enter El Paso, Texas, May 10, 2023.
Andres Leighton/AP Photo
An anti-migrant convoy has raised a six-figure sum to support its trip to Texas.More than $138,000 has been pledged to “Take Our Border Back.”But video from the convoy’s first day suggests the turnout has not been huge.
A group called “Take Our Border Back,” which has organized a convoy to Texas in an effort to stop migrants crossing the border, has raised more than $138,000, fundraising pledges show.
An itinerary shared on the group’s website states that the convoy was due to set out from Virginia on Monday, splitting into two groups aiming to pass through different border states before reaching Texas.
“The goal is simple — to shed light on the obvious dangers posed by wide open Southern borders,” said a press release from the group shared by Fox News.
The group has had widespread media coverage, quickly growing its following on Telegram from around 1,000 over the weekend to more than 3,000 as of Tuesday — and raking in donations in the process.
Per the fundraising page, the money raised is needed for “Gas for lead busses and trucks, city permits, media-technology support, rally location expenses, communication equipment, staging at rally sites, lighting, supplies etc.”
The page says that the funds will be received by an entity named “MISSION WTP HAGGAI 28,” which appears to refer to a Bible proverb.
Organizers did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for clarification on the ongoing use of the funds.
One of the group’s organizers has referred to it as “God’s army,” as Vice first reported, with others framing their cause as one of “biblical” importance.
Despite the massive intake of cash, footage posted to Rumble of the convoy’s first day does not suggest a major turnout.
Throughout the two-hour video, a handful of people and vehicles can be seen wandering around a parking lot, with little evidence of crowds captured on video.
Widely shared videos purporting to show the convoy — with multiple trucks and flag-waving onlookers — have been fact-checked and traced back to an anti-COVID restrictions protest convoy dating back to 2022.
One of the group’s organizers, Scotty Saks, also distanced the project from the high-tension border rows playing out between Texan and federal authorities. “We’re not really focused on that,” he told Vice News.
“We are not making a call to arms … We are here to peacefully protest under our 1st Amendment right and pray!” one of the group’s Telegram posts read.
MAGA politicians, however, have seized on the topic to make ever-escalatory statements, with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene being widely condemned for proposing a “national divorce” between red and blue states over the issue.