Video shows 2022 US trucker caravan, not 'Take Our Border Back' convoy | Fact check

Andre Byik, USA TODAY
·3 min read
17

The claim: Video shows US trucker convoy traveling to southern border to stop migrant 'invasion'

A Jan. 27 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows footage of a caravan of truckers being cheered on by onlookers holding U.S. flags.

"Breaking News: The Great Awakening has begun as thousands head to the US Southern Border to halt the Invasion," the post's caption reads in part.

The Facebook post was shared more than 50 times in two days. The video was also shared widely on X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

Reports indicate that a convoy called "Take Our Border Back" was scheduled from Jan. 29 to Feb. 3, but the video does not show that event. The footage shows a U.S. trucker convoy that set off for Washington, D.C., in 2022 to protest COVID-19 restrictions.

Footage of trucker convoy is from 2022 COVID-19 demonstration

The "Take Our Border Back" truck and car convoy was scheduled to begin Jan. 29 and end Feb. 3 with rallies in border cities in California, Arizona and Texas, according to the group's website and multiple news reports.

The group planned to call on government officials to "secure our southern border." A promotional video shows images of immigrants at the southern U.S. border with an on-screen caption that reads, "invasion."

But the video in the Facebook post does not show the "Take Our Border Back" convoy, which hadn't started yet on the date the post was made. Instead, it shows footage from a U.S. trucker convoy that traveled from California to Washington, D.C., in February 2022 to protest COVID-19 restrictions, according to news reports that included video of that event. Part of the watermark visible in news video reports from the time can be seen in the post's video.

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The 2022 event, which was called the "People's Convoy," drew about 1,000 vehicles and, according to the Washington Post, made loops around the Beltway, the highway that surrounds Washington. Initial reports show this convoy started much smaller, with about 20 vehicles at the end of the first day, Wired reported.

A bipartisan deal addressing migration at the southern border has proved elusive. President Joe Biden vowed Jan. 26 to take action to "shut down" the U.S.-Mexico border if Congress approved a proposal under negotiation in the Senate, USA TODAY reported. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has expressed privately that opposition from former President Donald Trump puts the Republican party in a dilemma, the article said.

The Facebook user who shared the video did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video shows 2022 event, not 'Take Our Border Back' convoy | Fact check