No, Texas National Guard is not sending tanks to the Mexican border | Fact check

Isabel C. Morales, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read
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Texas National Guard soldiers install additional razor wire lie along the Rio Grande on January 10, 2024 in Eagle Pass, Texas. Following a major surge of migrant border crossings late last year, miles of razor wire as well as huge quantities of refuse remain along the U.S.-Mexico border at Eagle Pass.

The claim: The Texas National Guard has deployed tanks to the border with Mexico

[En Español: No, la Guardia Nacional de Texas no está enviando tanques a la frontera sur]

A Jan. 27 Instagram video (direct link, archive link) shows a train carrying dozens of military vehicles through a town.

“The Texas National Guard begins transporting armored vehicles to the border with Mexico, the post caption reads in part.

A similar post spread on X, formerly Twitter, and a Spanish version of the claim was also shared on Facebook.

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Our rating: False

The Texas National Guard said it is not sending tanks to the U.S. southern border. The transportation of military equipment around Fort Cavazos in Texas, where the video was taken, is routine, according to one military expert.

The video was taken in Texas, but it’s not going to the border with Mexico

The video was taken at the intersection of College St. and 761st Tank Battalion Ave. in Killeen, Texas, close to the U.S. Army's Fort Cavazos. Street signs indicating the location are visible in the video.

But there is no evidence the train is carrying tanks from the Texas National Guard to the U.S. southern border. There are no credible news reports about such a development.

“The Texas National Guard is not sending tanks to the border,” a spokesperson for the Texas Military Department in said an email to USA TODAY.

The state of Texas is currently feuding with the federal government over how to control the southern border as it faces a surge of migrants. The state set up razor wire along the Rio Grande to deter migrants from crossing the border, a move the federal government sees as a step too far. The Supreme Court ruled on Jan. 22 that the federal government can cut and remove the razor wire, but the state continues to set up the wire in certain areas.

The transportation of army equipment around Fort Cavazo is a daily occurrence, according to Eric Rojo, a retired U.S. Army colonel.

“The movement of armored equipment is constant,” Rojo said. “Fort Cavazos is one of the largest armored infantry bases in the U.S. It's the home to the First Cavalry Division, which includes mechanized infantry, using Bradley Fighting Personnel Carriers, armor units such as M-1 Abram tanks, and other combined arms units. Some of these vehicles are what we see in the video.”

Rojo also said the vehicles on the train are not tanks but Bradley Fighting Vehicles, which blend elements of a tank, an armored personnel carrier and other armored vehicles.

"Many people confuse them," Rojo said.

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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

A similar claim about tanks at the Mexico-U.S. border was debunked by Factchequeado.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim train of armored vehicles is headed to border | Fact check