Eagle Pass Local Says She Never Felt Unsafe Until Border Convoy Showed Up

A resident of Eagle Pass, Texas, has said she had never felt unsafe in their town until convoys of people demanding tighter immigration laws showed up.

A clip posted on X, formerly Twitter, by an account using the name Molly Ploofkins, shows a group of people protesting against Texas Governor Greg Abbott's efforts to stem illegal migration on the U.S -Mexico border. Tensions have risen in recent weeks due to an ongoing stand-off between the federal government and Texas lawmakers over which has the right to control border crossings in the Lone Star State.

One woman, standing at the front of the small crowd, speaks into a microphone while holding a placard that reads: "Joseph and Jesus were asylum seekers."

She said, "I've always felt very safe here" and claimed the area "is a good place to raise your children."

She continued: "Today, downtown, was the first day I've felt unsafe just walking down the street in broad daylight." She does not directly refer to the convoys that have traveled to the area to protest against high migrant levels. The video is accompanied by a caption that reads: "Border residents in Eagle Pass, TX say they never felt unsafe until the right-wing 'God's Army' convoy showed up."

The X account has claimed the group was protesting in Eagle Pass. Newsweek has been unable to verify the exact location where the clip was taken, but a post by X user Amanda Moore claimed the group met up to host a "press conference" regarding the convoy and how Abbott's actions "have affected the community."

Groups have traveled to border communities in recent days to protest against high immigrant numbers. The frustration comes as Governor Abbott insists that Texas has the constitutional right to defend itself against what he has described as an "invasion" while the government insists that immigration is a federal concern.

He launched Operation Lone Star in 2021, which directed the Texas Department of Public Safety to "use available resources to enforce all applicable federal and state laws to prevent the criminal activity along the border, including criminal trespassing, smuggling, and human trafficking, and to assist Texas counties in their efforts to address those criminal activities."

Parts of the operation have included installing barbed wire along the border and a large buoy in the Rio Grande River near Eagle Pass. The installations of both have been legally contested by the federal government.

Texas has witnessed an influx of migrants attempting to cross into the U.S. In December, ABC News reported the highest monthly total of migrant encounters along the border, with 302,000 recorded.

Exactly how many people have traveled to border areas like Eagle Pass is unknown. The group Take Back Our Border has organized convoys and rallies in the area, and according to its website met on February 3 in Eagle Pass.

Newsweek contacted Take Our Border Back via email after publication but has been unable to find contact details for the group in the video as they have not been identified. Newsweek will update this article if this information becomes apparent.