Trump-focused Texas border rally blends politics and religion

QUEMADO, Texas, (Reuters) - Hundreds of protesters from around the U.S. flocked to a Texas border town yesterday to vent over illegal immigration and show support for former President Donald Trump at a rally that blended border politics with religious rhetoric.

At the rally in Quemado, Texas, vendors sold shirts, flags and hats promoting the Republican former president while conservative speakers touted conservative Christian values and criticized the border policies of President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

"Folks, this is serious stuff, this is evil stuff" U.S. Representative Keith Self said of Biden's policies. "We are in a spiritual battle for the survival of our Republic." Immigration has become a potent political issue in the run-up to Nov. 5 elections that will likely pit Biden versus Trump, reprising the 2020 contest.

Trump has motivated his voting base with calls for more restrictive border practices. His critics worry such policies and events such as a convoy that preceded the rally could stoke tensions.

Eagle Pass, 20 miles (32 km) south of Saturday's rally, has achieved national prominence in recent months. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, has clashed with Biden over the state's aggressive tactics to deter crossers, including troops, concertina wire and a floating buoy barrier in the Rio Grande.

Abbott and 14 other Republican governors plan to hold a press conference in the city on Sunday to defend the approach.

Reuters witnesses saw small groups of migrants on Friday and Saturday who crossed the Rio Grande near Eagle Pass trapped by concertina wire on the riverbank as they waited for help.

While yesterday's rally proceeded peacefully, the FBI identified a threat to a migrant processing center in Eagle Pass, leading U.S. border officials to evacuate it in recent days, two sources familiar with the matter said, requesting anonymity to discuss internal information.