Fact Check: Does Video Show Tanks on Texas Border?

The border showdown between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the White House continues to intensify, with Abbott claiming he has a plan to "secure our border" in the event President Joe Biden decides to take control of the Texas National Guard.

The standoff escalated last week after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that federal border agents could remove razor wire installed by Abbott, sparking defiance from the governor and other Republicans and increasing calls from Democrats for the president to federalize the Texas National Guard.

As the row continues, social media users have posted a video that they claimed showed tanks being operated near the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Claim

A post on X, formerly Twitter, on January 29, 2024, by user @PredatorHunterz/Patriots Against Predators, viewed more than 75,000 times, showed a video of police blocking traffic as a group of tanks drives over a desert highway.

User @PredatorHunterz said: "Breaking News In TEXAS!! ?"Looks Like Military Tanks Have Arrived!!

"Question I Have is....

"Are these Tanks for defense against illegals migration or is this something more!!"

The same clip was shared by other accounts on X.

The Facts

Newsweek found that the video was recorded in Chile, near the city of Antofagasta, at least two months ago.

The video was also shared on a Russian Telegram channel Мир в Моменте before it was posted in English-language posts elsewhere on social media.

A translation of that post said: "The situation in Texas now is something like this.

"Let us remember that the federal government "surrendered" to Texas and the 25+ states that supported it.

"National Guard soldiers from all over the country have already arrived in the southern state and are patrolling the borders and installing fences. Armed volunteers came to their aid."

However, reverse image searches show the original clip was shared on TikTok on October 6, 2023, and viewed more than 1 million times. The title of the video says "video of tanques leopard chile." In this version, a sign by the side of the road says "Est. O'Higgins" and "Calama." Calama is another city in northern Chile, northeast of Antofagasta.

Newsweek used visual landmarks to find the video's location, including what looked like a factory further along the highway, fence posts along the road, and a mountain range in the distance.

The desert around Antofagasta is home to dozens of chemical and industrial plants, but not all of them were on a single-lane highway, with a factory facing on the right side in the direction of traffic, as can be seen in the clip.

Based on this information, Newsweek found it was recorded east of Antofagasta, outside a lithium carbonate plant, owned by Chilean chemical company SQM. The same sign can be seen in the video; "Est. O'Higgins" refers to a nearby rail station.

Newsweek has reached out to SQM via a contact form for comment.

While it is not clear why there were tanks near the plant, the desert outside of Antofagasta has been used for recent U.S. and Chilean military exercises.

In any case, the video's age and its distance from Texas show it has nothing to do with escalating domestic tensions regarding the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas.

Newsweek has reached out to the Department of Defense and Texas Governor's Office via email for comment.

The Ruling

False.

The video was not recorded at the Texas border. Newsweek found it was shot near a chemical plant near Antofagasta in Chile. It has been online for at least two months. The video was shared on Russian Telegram before it was disseminated elsewhere.

FACT CHECK BY Newsweek's Fact Check team