Less than a mile from where Americans from across the country are demonstrating at a Texas ranch against President Joe Biden's “open borders” policies, at least two groups of illegal immigrants have been caught sneaking into the USA crept, as reported by .
A group of seven border crossers who had just waded through the waters of the Rio Grande, the river that separates the United States and Mexico and serves as the international border, were stopped by U.S. Border Patrol agents Saturday morning.
Cornerstone Children's Ranch, where the “Take Our Border Back” convoy gathers Saturday near the town of Eagle Pass, 500 feet from the border.
Further down the road, a second group of migrants were detained by federal immigration agents.
“It's almost comical if the migrants had any notice at all that this was coming to Eagle Pass, they're going to come no matter what the consequences,” Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland told .
A group of seven illegal immigrants were prevented from entering the country near Quemado, Texas. The “Take Our Border Back” trucker convoy gathered Saturday less than a mile from where the migrants were captured
The migrant entered the United States near Quemado, Texas, a small town outside Eagle Pass that migrants are known to cross
Despite the massive rally nearby, migrants have been caught trying to cross the southern border
Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland stopped at the trucker convoy rally in Quemado, Texas on Saturday morning
Cleveland, the sheriff of a nearby border county and a retired Border Patrol agent, was one of an estimated 300 people, according to organizer Mike Foranzo, who stopped by the convoy's gathering on Saturday.
Although rumors circulated online that high-ranking elected officials, including former President Donald Trump, might appear, the VIPs never showed up.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is embroiled in a political and legal dispute over border security and was the reason for the rally, also stayed away.
The Republican governor has defied orders from the Biden administration to hand over a city-owned park in Eagle Pass that he seized on Jan. 10 and from which he banned Border Patrol agents.
Instead, Abbott has held fundraisers and campaign stops across the Lone Star State this week.
Texas remained defiant, denying immigration officials access to the park through which illegal immigrants previously entered the country illegally
Christian hardliner groups deemed too extreme were not allowed to enter the ranch where the trucker convoy gathered. Additionally, local law enforcement was called in to help secure Saturday's gathering
Many attendees at the trucker convoy gathering did not want to reveal their names or even show their faces because they believed the FBI would track them or use the event as a “brief” to arrest them
Participants in the convoy rally support Texas' position that it does not have to follow federal orders because the federal government is not doing its job to secure the border
On Sunday, he plans to travel to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, about 30 minutes from the trucker convoy party, to hold a news conference with 14 Republican governors who support him.
It's possible elected officials will stay away from the ranch after violent threats were made against a Border Patrol migrant center in Eagle Pass.
Extremists planned to set it on fire and kill migrants.
The center, known as the Fire Fly facility, was evacuated Thursday and is now surrounded by additional security.
Abbott's office did not respond to 's request for comment on the potential danger due to the rhetoric used by some participants.
The U.S. Border Patrol's Firefly Migrant Center outside Eagle Pass, Texas, received threats from people who wanted to burn the center down and kill migrants, sources tell
Fewer than 200 migrants were evacuated from the facility on Thursday following the threats, federal sources tell
Three Texans who live near the town of Kerrville, Texas, drove by Thursday evening to support the convoy in Eagle Pass. The woman on the right did not want to be identified because she believes the FBI could be tracking her, but she said, “I'm sorry, but it's time to start evicting – literally.” If they came across legally it would be fine, but not illegal.”
“I'm sorry, but it's time to start filming – literally,” one woman told about illegal immigrants. “If they came across legally it would be fine, but not illegal.”
The woman declined to give her name because she believes anyone connected to the convoy is being pursued by the FBI.
“None of us are happy about this,” she added, describing her neighbors in Kerrville, Texas, as “shot.”
The state has significantly increased security at Shelby Park, where the governor will speak on Sunday.
All roads leading to the park, a 2.5-mile stretch of land populated by the Texas National Guard, Texas State Troopers and other law enforcement officers, are now patrolled by Eagle Pass police officers themselves.
Texas National Guard soldiers patrol the entrance to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas. The land, owned by the city of Eagle Pass, was taken over by the state on Jan. 10 and federal agents were kicked out
Eagle Pass police officers closed off the roads to Shelby Park in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Saturday
Access to the park is currently only permitted to VIPs and authorized media
There is increased security in Eagle Pass after threats against a Border Patrol facility led to the evacuation of migrants
Some citizens traveling to Eagle Pass were shocked to see that only Shelby Park was completely locked down.
Many believed that the entire city was impenetrable to migrants.
“It's a great show here that shows what the border should be: closed, but either way, north and south, it's wide open,” said Ray Howard, a resident of Ingram, Texas.
“This is just a political showdown with the federal government.” That's what I see. A waste of resources. Nothing is actually being done.'