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FALFURRIAS, Texas – Groups of armed civilians and border surveillance groups have heard a call for arms in the warnings of President Donald Trump about threats to US security posed by caravans of Central American migrants moving to Mexico. They pack coolers and tents, oil rifles and prepare aerial drones. They plan to create their own caravans and have their American troops follow at the border.
"We will observe and inform, and we will offer our help in any way possible," said Shannon McGauley, a Dallas suburban handmaid, president of Texas Minutemen. McGauley said he was preparing to travel to Rio Grande in the coming days.
"We have already proven ourselves and we will do it again," he said.
McGauley and others were urged by the president's call to restore order and defend the country against what Trump called an "invasion," as thousands of Central Americans migrate slowly south Mexico towards the US border. Trump insisted that "unknowns from the Middle East", "very tough fighters" and a large number of violent criminals travel among women, children and families walking north.
According to McGauley, the Texas Minutemen have 100 volunteers on their way to Rio Grande who want to help stop migrants, and more likely on the way.
"I can not give a number," McGauley said. "My phone has been ringing continuously for seven days. You have other militias, as well as spouses and wives, residents of Oregon and Indiana. We even have two of Canada. "
When asked if his group planned to deploy with weapons, McGauley laughed. "It's Texas, man," he says.
And yet, the prospect of seeing armed militiamen appear alongside thousands of American soldiers – as well as border patrol agents, police and migrants – is considered serious enough for militia planners to warn commanders of the army.
According to Newsweek's military planning documents, the military is concerned about the arrival of "unregulated militia members who self-deploy at the border to provide support" to US customs and security services. borders.
The assessment estimates that 200 members of the militia could come forward. "They operate in the guise of citizen patrols," the report says, while warning "unregulated militia incidents stealing National Guard equipment during deployments."
The military report did not provide more details on the alleged thefts.
Manuel Padilla Jr., a senior border police officer in the area of the agency for the illegal crossing of the Rio Grande Valley, said he had given no instructions to field officers or landowners whose properties are adjacent to the river. But he plans to meet with community members in the coming week, he said, to address their concerns.
"We have no specific information about the militias," said Padilla, who can be reached by phone along the border. "We've seen them in the past, and when the situation starts to get busy, we need to make sure the community is aware of their presence."
"But they do it themselves," Padilla said.
McGauley added that, in addition to weapons and camping gear, his group would have night vision goggles and aerial drones with thermal detection equipment, able to operate in the dark. He stressed that the group would report any suspicious activity to the authorities and take into account the instructions of border patrol agents or military personnel.
Several landowners in the area said they did not want militias to be present.
Michael Vickers, veterinarian and breeder living one hour north of the border at Falfurrias, said he would not let any militia members from outside his area visit his property and that He doubted that most landowners would trust strangers.
"These are guys who have a big mouth and have no substance," said Vickers, a Republican leader of Texas' 300 Border Volunteers. The group does not consider itself a militia, although it patrols ranches to intercept migrants walking through the bush in an attempt to avoid checkpoints on the border patrol. The group uses ATVs, night vision goggles, searchlights and trained dogs.
"The people of [Rio Grande] called us, "said Vickers. His group is "waiting", he said, adding, "We can have 100 volunteers in a hot zone in four to eight hours.
"We have already talked to a group of landowners who wanted to know if we would be able to operate if the border patrol could not be there to prevent their property from being vandalized and their crops spoiled."
"We are ready to move," he said.
Others in South Texas are less enthusiastic.
Lucy Kruse, 96, said that immigrants often stopped on her property while they walked in the bush, sometimes entering a small cabin to sleep. His family's ranch is in the middle of the thorny vegetation of mesquite, cactus and tawny grass, 30 km north of the border.
While migrant caravans are heading north, she and other landowners in the region are worried that the number of intruders going on their ranches will increase dramatically. But many say that militias coming to the area are also a threat.
"I will not leave the militia on my land," said Kruse. "These are civilians who find themselves in a situation where the border patrol is supposed to control and make decisions. They could damage property or harm workers. I guess they'd be happy to pull the trigger. If they shoot at someone, they could simply say that the person they shot was seizing a gun. "
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© 2018 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
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