Religious groups with different agendas heading to Texas' southern border amid border standoff
EAGLE PASS, Texas - The situation at the Texas-Mexico border is attracting religious groups from out of state with competing agendas.
Both groups are converging on Eagle Pass, the city where Texas Governor Greg Abbott closed off a park and put up razor wire to curb what he calls an invasion.
These two separate convoys both consist of self-proclaimed Christians, but their stance on what's happening at the southern border is very different. There is a likelihood these two groups could clash this weekend.
It's as lawmakers in Washington, D.C. await the text of the much talked about border security bill.
At least one Senate negotiator says the bill has been finalized. The text will come out over the weekend. But its prospects in Congress are unclear, leaving the future of border security in question.
A new "political battle" at the southern border is brewing.
On Friday, members of a progressive Christian organization called Common Good arrived in Eagle Pass with a mission in mind.
"What would Jesus do is what we come back to," one member said.
"We're right behind the county courthouse, and we pulled up with our bus that says, "Faith, Hope and Love. Supporting Democracy for all," said Pastor Doug Pagitt, who is the organization’s executive director.
Pagitt and his supporters have traveled from Minnesota to Eagle Pass to sway faith voters from extremism, specifically calling out the self-proclaimed God's Army convoy also making its way to the Rio Grande Valley from Virginia.
Groups headed to southern border in Texas for what organizers say will be peaceful protests
A convoy of vehicles is headed to locations near the border this weekend for what organizers call peaceful protests.
"I’ll tell you that, as a Christian pastor, I want to say to my other Christian friends who are part of that convoy slander is something we should avoid. And they are slandering these people who are seeking to come into the country, and they're slandering the people who live in these border communities," Pagitt said.
Members of God's Army convoy made a stop near Austin Thursday. Former Alaska governor and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin was one of the star participants.
The group held a "take back the border rally."
"Enough is enough. We're going to take our country back," she said.
Organizers claim they do not intend on confronting people trying to illegally cross over the southern border but framed this as a religious mission.
"We're just going to be having a peaceful assembly, and ultimately, it's going to be a prayer gathering," Robert Agee said.
Pastor Pagitt said he and his supporters do intend on confronting the group.
"They're going to be 20-some miles away at a Christian camp, where they're going to have their own meetings," he said.
MORE: Border Security News Coverage
Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott continues to amplify the other political battle between his office and the White House.
At a Republican re-election event, Gov. Abbott again called the border crisis an "invasion," the term he uses to defend the state's use of barriers and restricted access between ports of entry. He called it the number one issue in America right now.
"And sending a message to the entire globe that the door is open on the open borders of America for people from more than 150 countries have poured into our state," he said. "All-time record numbers, more than 8 million under the Biden Administration."
Texas Republicans back Abbott in border disputes
With the number of illegal crossings down in the state-fortified area around Eagle Pass, a group of Texas' congressional Republicans urged Abbott on Friday to stay the course, writing "the U.S. Constitution guarantees that states would be protected from a federal government that would defy the law and force a state to endure a foreign invasion."
With the number of illegal crossings down in the state-fortified area around Eagle Pass, a group of Texas' congressional Republicans urged Abbott on Friday to stay the course, writing "the U.S. Constitution guarantees that states would be protected from a federal government that would defy the law and force a state to endure a foreign invasion."
The comments come as 14 Republican governors head to the border this weekend, including some who have vowed to send more manpower and resources to help state-led border security efforts.
Democrats say it is wrong for the state to wrest control of the border from the feds.
"The governor even knows what you and I have known for a long time: that immigration is a federal responsibility, not a state responsibility," said State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer (D-San Antonio).
The Senate could begin debate on border security legislation as soon as next week, but the text that will outline the plan’s specifics still has not been released.
"I'm not going to vote for a bill that's going to hamstring a future president," said U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin).
There are reports that an impeachment vote against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas could come early next week. Republicans have a thin margin and can only afford to lose a handful of votes.
Eagle Pass residents said they'll hold a "meet the local event" outside Shelby Park on Saturday at 11 a.m.
They invite anyone who wants to come out and talk to them about what border residents are the real issues for them.