US congressman welcomes protest convoy to border amid Texas stand-off with federal gov't

HOUSTON - US House lawmaker Roger Williams, a Republican from Texas, said on Tuesday that he welcomes a convoy of protesters to travel to the US-Mexico border and hold rallies as the border state has been in a standoff with the federal government over border security.

The protest group called "Take Our Border Back" launched a cross-country drive on Monday in Virginia heading toward Florida before bending west along the Gulf of Mexico, with separate rallies planned later in hot spots for unlawful immigration in Texas, Arizona and California on Feb 3.

Their goal is to "shed light on the obvious dangers posed by wide open Southern borders", according to local media reports.

"The time is now for WE THE PEOPLE to PEACEFULLY assemble in honor of our US Constitution and Bill of Rights," the organization said in a statement on its website, calling for military veterans, active and retired law enforcement officers, ranchers, truckers, bikers, and others to join the convoy.

Many protesters have described themselves as part of "God's army" taking actions against "globalists".

"It's something they can do to call attention to the fact that Biden administration is totally inept on securing this border and doesn't really want to," Williams said in an interview with NewsNation on Tuesday.

"As long as it's peaceful, come on, let's go. And frankly, every trucker is welcome in Texas," the lawmaker said.

"(Texas Governor Greg) Abbott and his supporters are creating a media circus for political gain and to raise money," Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens, said in a statement, connecting the convoy with the standoff of Texas and the White House over border security measures.

Last week, the US Supreme Court ruled that Texas cannot block Border Patrol agents from cutting the razor wires set by Texas along the US-Mexico border as part of the state's response to a "crisis at the border".

In response, Abbott, the Republican governor, argued that the Constitution has granted Texas the right to defend and protect itself and that President Joe Biden has failed to fulfill his duty to secure the US border by allowing millions of immigrants to enter the country illegally from the southern border.

Up to 25 other Republican governors released a joint statement last week in support of Abbott and Texas' constitutional right to self-defense. Former President Donald Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, has also sided with Abbott.

The Texas National Guard and state troopers are still rolling out concertina wire and preventing Border Patrol agents from accessing most of Shelby Park, a 47-acre Eagle Pass park along the Rio Grande where thousands of migrants have crossed.

Far-right congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has even called for a "national divorce" in the United States to split the country based on political ideology into "red" Republican states and "blue" Democratic states.

A CBS News report called the "standoff" between Texas and the federal government at the southern border "unprecedented".

Observers have argued that the standoff reflects the nation's political fray, warning against a potential constitutional crisis that might further split the country. They also believe immigration will emerge as a critical issue in this year's presidential election.