Environmental activists from Laredo and Zapata County are preparing to travel to the Texas Capitol this Earth Day to amplify local opposition to border wall construction along the Rio Grande.
A coalition of groups, including the No Border Wall Coalition, Rio Grande Landowners Coalition and the Rio Grande International Study Center, plans to join activists from across the border region — from Laredo to Eagle Pass to Big Bend — for a statewide rally titled Texas Says No Border Wall.
The rally will take place Wednesday, April 22 at the South Steps of the Texas State Capitol, 1100 Congress Ave. in Austin.
Organizers say the effort is focused on bringing frontline voices to the conversation, particularly those directly impacted by proposed border infrastructure.
“This fight means nothing if the people most impacted aren’t in the room,” the No Border Wall Coalition said. “From residents to landowners to youth, our community deserves to speak for themselves, not be spoken for.”
Participants describe the trip as part of a broader movement to push back against renewed federal interest in border wall and buoy construction in the region.
“In 2020, we successfully stopped the wall. Now, those same threats are back, bigger, faster and more dangerous,” organizers said. “This isn’t just symbolic. It’s about showing that Texas communities are united — and that decisions about our land, water and safety cannot be made without us.”
To support travel costs, organizers have launched a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $5,500.
The Capitol rally is one of several planned advocacy efforts, including a national press conference in Washington, D.C., where participants will highlight the environmental and community impacts of proposed border infrastructure.
“From a homeowner in a Laredo barrio to a rancher in Zapata County, our people are united. We’ve done this before, and we can do it again,” organizers said. “We believe in El Pueblo Unido — that when our communities come together, we are unstoppable.”