Latinos in once true-blue Texas border zone are getting on the Trump train

Anna Holcomb prepares for an upcoming ‘Trump Train’ convoy at her home in Zapata, Texas, on 23 June. Photograph: Christopher Lee/The Guardian The Rio Grande valley’s Tejano population was once reliably Democratic but traditional loyalties have been eroded

Anna Holcomb is preparing her Ram pickup truck for the big event on Saturday, festooning it in Make America Great Again (Maga) flags that flap restlessly in the searing hot Texas wind.

Holcomb is gearing up for a show of strength by Donald Trump supporters in the Rio Grande valley, the region of south Texas that flanks the Mexican border. From 8am on Saturday morning, thousands of similarly decked-out vehicles will form convoys along a 300-mile stretch, from Brownsville on the Gulf of Mexico all the way north to Eagle Pass.

They will converge on the fair grounds in Holcomb’s small town of Zapata, where the number of cars is expected to exceed the local 5,000-strong population. There will be a carne asada cook-off, prizes for the most lavishly decorated Maga vehicle, and a joining of hands in prayers for Trump.

The convoys are known as “Trump Trains”, and though they have appeared in other states they have taken off in the Rio Grande valley. […]

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