Dozens of truckers set off in 'Take Our Border Back' convoy to protest overwhelming surge of migrants crossing from Mexico in Texas, California and Arizona
- A convoy of conservative activists set off for the southern border on Monday from Norfolk, Virginia to call attention to the migrant crisis
- Rallies are planned for the 'Take Our Border Back' movement in Texas, Arizona and California later this week
- More than 2.5 million people have entered the United States through its southwestern border
A convoy of conservative activists, who call themselves 'God's Army', set off for this country's southern border on Monday to protest the numbers of migrants breaking into the United States
Dozens of people joined the self-styled grassroots movement 'Take Our Border Back' in Norfolk, Virginia where organizers slammed the Biden administration for leaving the U.S. frontiers 'wide open.'
Craig Hudgins, a former United Airlines pilot-turned-Christian activist, urged those eventually planning to travel to Eagle Pass in Texas to ignore calls made on social media to use violence to make their point.
A handful of media outlets had seized on a string of inflammatory messages posted in the organizers' Telegram channel as proof that the protest was merely a front for far-right extremists.
Many of the participants brandished U.S. flags and placards in support of those convicted for taking part in the January 6 riots.
A convoy of conservative activists, who call themselves 'God's Army', set off for this country's southern border on Monday
Dozens of people joined the self-styled grassroots movement 'Take Our Border Back' in Norfolk, Virginia to set off on their nearly 2,000 mile trip
A woman poses in front of her vehicle that says 'Take Our Border Back' at the convoy in Virginia on Monday
Texas National Guards on Monday place razor wires at the Shelby Park area which is the most preferred area for irregular migrants to enter as the guards continue to patrol the Rio Grande River
'People are making up all kinds of stuff,' he said during an impromptu speech from the back of a pick-up truck as supporters gathered before starting their near-four-day journey to one of the nation's illegal migration hotspots.
'This is about being a peaceful demonstration. We do not want our National Guard guys to take the brunt of what is going on.
'I am hearing 40,000 truckers coming from all over the country,' he said before a fellow organizer led this morning's 40-strong group in prayer and then the Pledge of Allegiance.
The first leg of this convoy's journey is set to end in Jacksonville, Florida late on Monday evening before heading on to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday.
Rallies are planned for later this week in Texas, Arizona and California.
DailyMail.com saw at least 25 vehicles - but no trucks - by the time it hit the I-95, one of the main roads south from Virginia which winds through North and South Carolina, as well as Georgia.
Similar demonstrations took place in 2022 in both the United States and Canada over opposition to Covid vaccination mandates.
The week-long protest, which will also have a similar convoy traveling from California, focuses on what will be one of the top issues in this year's presidential election.
Figures from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection show that more than 2.5 million people entered this country through its southwestern border.
Republican officials will start the process on Tuesday to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas over the border crisis.
Lawmakers in Congress are also refusing to sign off on Joe Biden's aid packages for Ukraine and Israel without tougher anti-immigration measures.
A deal currently being hammered out would require the federal government to shutter the border if 5,000 migrants sneak into the United States each day.
It will also ban migrants from claiming asylum if they cross over illegally and they could be faced with deportation to Mexico or their home country.
In December, federal agents recorded multiple days when more than 10,000 people made illicit crossings into this country.
People take the pledge of allegiance before the start of the 'Take Our Border Back' convoy
The convoy of truckers is making its way to three migrant hotspots across three states in a bid to shame the White House into tackling the worsening migrant crisis
TEXAS, USA - JANUARY 29: Shelby Park area is the most preferred area for irregular migrants to enter the US as the Texas National Guards continue to patrol the Rio Grande River
TEXAS, USA - JANUARY 29: Texas National Guards patrol the Rio Grande on Monday
A woman reads a map in a car as people gather for the 'Take Our Border Back' convoy
A man wears a shirt that says 'Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you, Jesus Christ and the American veteran'
Many of the participants brandished U.S. flags and placards in support of those convicted for taking part in the January 6 riots
A handful of media outlets had seized on a string of inflammatory messages posted in the organizers' Telegram channel as proof that the protest was merely a front for far-right extremists
Overworked border guards often release migrants immediately because they do not have the resources to screen everybody for asylum.
If passed, it would represent the biggest bipartisan overhaul of U.S. immigration law in three decades.
The migration row flared up again last after the Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for federal authorities to remove barbed wire that encircles Texas's border wall.
The Lone Star state's Republican governor, Greg Abbott, has vowed to fight any attempt to remove the fencing.
And in a clear sign of how that issue is resonating with U.S. voters, Take Our Border Back has racked up an incredible $130,000 in donations to help bankroll this week's rallies.
Their fundraising page states the money will be used to finance transport, media support, and other expenses linked to holding those demonstrations.
'Our national security and families' safety at risk,' the page on popular crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo reads.
Cherise Moser, a New York native joining the convoy, said it was unfair for asylum-seekers to be 'putting all the burden on American taxpayers.'
'I understand that we are a melting pot. I understand that immigration is part of it. Yes, we do need some labor,' she told DailyMail.com. 'But if you want to come here, you should come through the door not the windows.
'It's not fair on those people who come from other countries and do it the right way. They are committed to being and it shows a desire to do something really positive (in the United States).'
Jarred Crook, a 24-year-old out-of-work insulation installer, said he was 'frustrated' watching footage on TV of asylum-seekers pouring over the border with Mexico.
He claimed that American businesses were favoring those who entered the country illegally, rather than U.S. citizens who had been born and raised here.
'The company I used to work for, half of the staff were illegals,' he said. 'I would go to these job sites and they were just two percent white people. I'm not a racist or anything, but I can't help but notice.
Migrants wrapped in aluminum blankets for warmth after being picked up at the border on Monday
Texas National Guards patrol the Rio Grande on Monday amid a huge surge of migrants
The week-long protest, which will also have a similar convoy traveling from California, focuses on what will be one of the top issues in this year's presidential election
The first leg of this convoy's journey is set to end in Jacksonville, Florida late on Monday evening before heading on to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Tuesday
DailyMail.com saw at least 25 vehicles - but no trucks - by the time it hit the I-95, one of the main roads south from Virginia which winds through North and South Carolina
In October, President Joe Biden requested emergency funding - asking Congress for more border agents, officers and deportation flights
Hundreds - possibly thousands - of big rigs are planning to head for Eagle Pass in Texas, Yuma in Arizona and San Ysidro in California
A massive convoy of truckers were seen making its way to migrant hotspots in a bid to shame the White House into tackling the worsening crisis
'Basically, they were 90 percent Mexicans. The whole job site. Doing all the work. What happened to all the jobs? Why is it just illegal immigrants getting hired?'
But many other nationalities are managing to enter the United States by crossing with the border with the help of people-smuggling cartels in Mexico.
Illegal entries into this country are believed to be worth an estimated $12 billion each year to those gangs.
DailyMail.com revealed in September how male migrants from Africa were snapping up seats at vastly inflated prices on a Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Bogota in Colombia.
The would-be asylum-seekers then fly to Nicaragua via Ecuador so they can avoid the lawless jungle of the Darien Gap in Panama.
