Updates from the border

"Militias" are said to be planning protests in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas next weekend.

What kind of support can they muster?

From KSAT TV:

Officials across the Rio Grande Valley are preparing for potential violent protests next week.  

Militia members plan to protest illegal border crossings by blocking traffic at ports of entry on Sept. 20. 

Ruben Villarreal, mayor of Rio Grande City, is worried about safety as law enforcement agencies put together a plan of action.

Meanwhile, unrelated to militias, a report last week from the Texas Department of Public Safety told of attacks on law enforcement and other confrontations between cops and drug smugglers.

July 12, 2014 – Pharr, TX – Suspects deploy caltrops from vehicle: The Weslaco Border Patrol Station received a concerned citizen call advising that a pickup truck had Cibrian attempted to  shoot a deputy U.S. Marshal, and DPS SWAT members used deadly force to fatally shoot the suspect.  

August 16, 2014 – Rio Grande City, TX – Valluco gang member fires shotgun at Starr County Deputy: As a Starr County Sheriff Deputy arrived to investigate a domestic disturbance call; a suspect fired a shotgun at the deputy, striking his patrol vehicle. The suspect escaped and is believed to be in Mexico. A review of the suspect’s social media websites illustrates his collection of firearms and ties to the Valluco gang.  

August 20, 2014 - Alamo TX – Driver of vehicle with marijuana deploys caltrops, disables law enforcement vehicles: Border Patrol, Pharr Police Department and Hidalgo Police Department began a pursuit of a vehicle after a failure to yield to law enforcement officers during a traffic stop. The suspect vehicle attempted to abscond from law enforcement, and during the pursuit, deployed caltrops that disabled law enforcement vehicles. The suspect bailed out and evaded apprehension, abandoning 18.5 grams of marijuana in the vehicle. 

August 24, 2014 – Hidalgo County, TX – Aggressive posture encountered by DPS Tactical Marine Unit: DPS Troopers with the Tactical Marine Unit (TMU) were involved in the seizure of a load of marijuana from a raft on the Rio Grande River. During the seizure, they received notification from a DPS helicopter that multiple vehicles were approaching their position at high speeds from the Mexican side of the border. Troopers on the TMU vessel then observed two SUVs and two sedans approach the riverbank and observe their activities during a tense encounter.  

August 25, 2014 – Hidalgo County, TX – Suspects on Mexican riverbank point firearm at Game Wardens: While a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Game Warden Marine Unit conducted patrols along the Rio Grande River in Hidalgo County,they observed three individuals on the Mexican side of the river pointing a firearm at their vessel. No shots were fired and the individuals walked back into the brush.

I suspect protests by militia members, if they actually happen, will draw more media coverage than the confrontations between cops and violent drug smugglers.

The DPS report also told of recent deadly home invasions in the border region, and cited several cases of police corruption. But if mainstream media acts as I suspect, the presence of "militia" along the border region will be presented as more significant, a bigger menace, and far more scary than crooked cops, deadly home invasions or shoot-outs between cartel couriers and law enforcement.