Conservatives are reacting to newly released video and photographs showing National Guard troops helping illegal immigrants across the border in Eagle Pass, Texas. Calling the agents traitors and, in some cases, demanding they be hung as such, the video and pictures are making their way across social media and conservative news organizations.
Natalie Winters, co-host & executive editor of Steve Bannon’s War Room, showed the video and instructed viewers to pay attention to the left side of their screen, narrating, “The national guardsmen puts in a ladder to help the illegals get in.”
Watch the left side of your screen. The national guardsmen puts in a ladder to help the illegals get in. WTF pic.twitter.com/MuO4UyjBaN
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) September 24, 2023
The scene is reminiscent of one played out in May 2023, which showed an Army National Guard soldier opening a gate onto private land in Texas and allowing illegal immigrants to pass through it unchallenged. The video was cut short before viewers could see the ending, leaving the outcome of the encounter wide open for interpretation. Those sharing the footage neglected to draw attention to the second soldier addressing the crowd, the additional border patrol vehicle driving up, or the bus waiting to load the illegals up, presumably to take them in for processing.
Democrats are masters at editing videos to mislead viewers and support whatever narrative they are advocating that day. January 6th video footage was one widely effective example of the left’s prowess in removing all context of the information they release to suit their own purposes.
In September 2021, the left feigned outrage and horror over released video footage that appeared to show mounted Border Patrol agents whipping illegal immigrants from horseback. The incident led to President Joe Biden lamenting the “horrific” treatment of “asylum seekers” and resulted in an internal investigation.
Anyone watching the video who even had a passing knowledge of horses understood what they were seeing immediately. Border Patrol Agents routinely ride in “western” saddles and gear, and the “whips” they were wielding were nothing more than the long split reins used in this style of riding to control the horse. The photos and videos were shot at such an angle as to make the situation appear questionable. While the footage went viral, the explanation did not. Liberals seldom apologize for spreading misinformation and never attempt to correct it. It’s not surprising that to this day, there are those who believe what they witnessed in the video was the inhumane treatment of illegal immigrants.
But the left isn’t alone in their ability to “whip” up a frenzy over carefully edited videos, as was the case in the spring of 2023 and seems to be, again, the case in this recent video.
A right-leaning observer pointed out that the migrants had already crossed the border when the National Guardsman intervened. Jennie Taer, an immigration journalist from the Daily Caller, explained, “They’ve already entered the US at that point and by law must be taken into custody.”
A representative from the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) verified that the National Guardsman’s intention was to prevent the migrants from getting hurt before handing them over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
The spokesperson clarified that the ladder was lowered for illegal immigrants who were caught in the concertina wire to help them escape the barrier without further injury. It was a protection for the soldiers as well as the immigrants.
Without supporting evidence of their views, the video stirred reactions from X users. Laura Loomer, for instance, suggested that Biden wanted to replace white Americans with migrants from the southern border. She claimed this was part of “Biden’s election strategy.”
Others argued that the video showed a blatant example of the current administration’s wide open borders, and others accused Biden of treason. Many blamed the guardsman and accused him of being a Democrat, demanding that he be charged for not doing his duty. Some went as far as to suggest that the National Guardsman was an undercover federal agent and should face execution for his betrayal.
Conservatives should be careful not to gift-wrap ammunition for liberal fact-checkers. In the age of viral videos, it’s a good rule of thumb to do some digging before sharing. Context can be the game-changer that keeps the right one step ahead of the left. In videos, as in politics, all is seldom as it seems.
