This past week, a collective of armed militias and far-right groups threatened to swarm the border in Texas. Posts and discourse from some far-right media sources indicated that more than “700,000 MAGA supporters” would attend a rally just outside of Eagle Pass, a town flanking a large portion of the border. Instead, just over a few hundred people corralled together with RVs and Campers attended the demonstration, which looked more like a Trump Carnival than a rally. Despite this laughable political exhibition, the story behind it is frightening.

Media in today’s world is easier to produce and interact with than ever before. Modern forms of quick-bite information like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) have put the power of providing content out of regulated hands. Content creators can amass millions of views by releasing false information. While putting the means of information into the hands of the masses has some positive effects, the tradeoff provides innumerable sources of misleading information with drastic political and social effects. As America descends into the madness of the 2024 presidential election season, these sources will only look to inflame people further. Recent events along the US-Mexico border have developed into an alarming example of the power of the modern media structure. 

The US-Mexico border has been one of the most polarizing political spaces in the country for decades, and recent events have only furthered political division. When Texas border officials placed barbed wire along the side of the Rio Grande, federal authorities began to remove them. This resulted in Texas border patrol officials “securing” a large swath of land around the river’s edge, preventing federal officials from accessing the river and removing the life-threatening wire that lined it. On Jan. 12, a mother and her two children who were attempting to cross the border tragically drowned in the river that was lined with this barbed wire.

On that same day, two other people were identified as being in distress along the bank of the river by federal officials. As federal border patrol agents attempted to help the two people, they were stopped by Texas border patrol agents, who stated that they were under orders to let no federal officials in, even during “emergency situations.” Although the Mexican border patrol eventually helped the two migrants, the tragic deaths of the woman and her children brought national attention to the “seized” section of the border and the violation of basic human rights by Texas officials. This resulted in a court filing by President Biden, which led to the Supreme Court decreeing that federal officials have access to remove the wire. 

In the face of mounting cries for the end of the “blockade” at the border, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office stated that “Texas will not surrender.” Days later, the Supreme Court ruled 5–4 that federal border patrol agents had the right to remove barbed wire from the Rio Grande. This ruling was met with backlash from Texas officials and far-right news and media sources. Soon after, rumors began circulating on apps like X and Reddit claiming that a “civil war” was brewing at the border. A far-right X account titled “US News Source” made unsubstantiated claims, posting an infographic to millions of followers that “25 Republican governors” had pledged to send National Guard units to “secure” the border from federal agents. While it was true that numerous Republican governors had expressed support for Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s protest of the Supreme Court decision and there were National Guard troops stationed around the border, claims that the purpose was to “secure” the border were entirely false. 

In truth, some National Guard troops had actually been stationed in Texas since October 2023, and were not recently “dispatched.” Despite the falsity of this post, it was spread across multiple online platforms, with 14 million views on X alone. This, along with lots of internet traffic around “#civilwar,” resulted in far-right social media groups like God’s Army and We the People planning to travel to the border en masse to “peacefully apprehend illegal immigrants” and “secure the border.” However, these “peaceful” groups were also accompanied by armed militias from Nebraska and California. Language within these groups’ social media platforms closely resembles messages sent before the Jan. 6, 2021 attack, with members recommending to “prepare to defend yourself.” 

Although politicians undoubtedly played a role in both the mobilization of far-right “militias” and the death of a mother and her two children (along with many more), the role of sites like X, Telegram, and TikTok must be recognized for inflaming this situation. Information on these sites can be disseminated quickly to millions of people at a time and can have effects on the ground that our country must contend with. 

With the border embroiled in conflict, far-right media outlets will continue to emphasize the “injustice” of federal agents removing barbed wire from the shores of the Rio Grande and claim that state’s rights are being violated. Meanwhile, the forgotten victims are reduced to unfortunate fatalities as a result of the policy. Conservatives will continue to kill and silence Black and Brown people within and outside the country for their identity politics. Unsurprisingly, those who are willing to support these hard-line politicians and their policies on the ground are far-right groups. Social media provides fringe groups with unparalleled capacity to mobilize and inflame ignorant Americans susceptible to false information. 

As we descend further into the madness of a presidential election season, the number of these incendiary accounts will only increase. Social media sites benefit from user interaction, and one of the best ways to generate that is through politically inflammatory media. Understanding the motivations of media companies promoting these forms of content is essential to dismantling it. People close to you—your family, mentors, and bosses—may be susceptible to these forms of content. Educating those around you, even when they refuse to listen, is essential to removing xenophobic and dangerous politicians from power. Your influence socially and politically can have tangible effects. Although our upcoming political candidates are far from ideal, remaining aware of the media you and those around you consume may save lives.

Jay Watson is a member of the class of 2027 and can be reached at jswatson@wesleyan.edu.