QUEMADO, Texas (NewsNation) — A convoy of protesters hoping to draw attention to the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border arrived in Quemado, Texas, on Saturday for their planned rally.
“It’s a gathering of patriots, people just here to have a good time,” said Margaret Leach, one of the protesters. “There’ll be prayers and stuff, this is what it’s all about. It’s protecting each other. And it’s it’s not about fighting with anybody and there’s not going to be any problems down here.”
The convoy, dubbed “God’s Army” by its creators, began in Norfolk, Virginia, and had made previous stops in Florida and Louisiana. They’re expected to eventually head towards Eagle Pass, Texas, to, as they say, support local law enforcement.
Convoy organizers say their mission is to stand up against “globalists” who they claim are conspiring to keep the U.S. border open and allow immigrants to cross illegally from Mexico.
The group is calling on active and retired law enforcement, military, veterans, elected officials and other “law-abiding, freedom-loving Americans” to join the cause. Their goal is to “shed light on the obvious dangers posed by wide open Southern borders,” according to a news release dated Jan. 12.
The 300-car caravan was escorted through the small border town Quemado by a local sheriff. The area only has a population of around less than 100 people. Some who live in the community are concerned if they can handle the hundreds of people who have arrived.
A man waves a flag as a “Take Our Border Back” convoy arrives in Quemado, Texas, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. The group will hold a rally the following day. (AP Photo/Eric Gay) 
Participants arrive with a “Take Our Border Back” convoy in Quemado, Texas, Friday, Feb. 2, 2024. The group will hold a rally the following day. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Quemado resident Catherina Castaneda told NewsNation that while she shares the convoy’s concerns about the border, she worries about having so many people flock to the area at once.
“They’re (the convoy) moving everything to Quemado,” said Castaneda. “If you don’t know Quemado, we’re a really small community. We have a lot of farmland and a lot of rural roads. Where are all these trucks going to park? Are you going to be up and down my road? If there are people that are going to protest, what do we prepare for?”
The convoy comes amid a legal dispute involving the White House, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the Supreme Court.
Abbott, a Republican, said this week the battle “is not over” following the high court’s ruling to allow Border Patrol agents to cut razor wire that Texas installed on the U.S.-Mexico border while a lawsuit over the wire continues.
Texas sued the federal government after Border Patrol agents began cutting down the wire, and the justices sided with the Biden administration.