This is going to get ugly.
HOUSTON – Militia groups and far-right activists are raising money and announcing plans to head to the Mexican border to help stop the caravan of Central Americans, often echoing President Donald Trump’s attacks on the migrants making their way toward the U.S.
Exactly how many militia members will turn out is unclear, and as of Friday, the caravan of about 4,000 people was still some 1,000 miles and weeks away from reaching this country.
But the prospect of armed civilians at the border – and the escalating political rhetoric over immigration – have fueled fears of vigilantism at a time when tensions are already running high because of the mail bomb attacks against some of Trump’s critics.
The U.S. Border Patrol this week warned local landowners in Texas that it expects “possible armed civilians” to come onto their property because of the caravan.