Video doesn't show tanks sent by Gregg Abbot to shut down Texas border

By: Christian Haag
February 1 2024

Share Article:

Social media posts are sharing a video falsely claiming Texas governor Greg Abbott has deployed tanks to the U.S.-Mexico border.

Context

Posts on social media containing a video of a tank at an intersection falsely claim that Texas Governor Gregg Abbot has begun to close down the border or that he has authorized the deployment of tanks by the Texas National Guard at the southern border. The video and the claims have gone viral on Twitter and TikTok. 

However, the claim is false, and the Texas National Guard has not deployed tanks at the Texas-Mexico border.

Not in Texas

The video showed several natural features uncommon in Texas, such as lush and green trees in the foreground. It also featured several cars that do not have front license plates. In Texas, license plates are required at the vehicle's front and rear. 

Footage from the viral video.
(Source: X/Screenshot/Edited by Logically Facts)

Logically Facts contacted the Texas Military Department, who confirmed that the Texas National Guard is not sending tanks to the border, saying, "If it is a Texas NG tank, it is not going to the border." Furthermore, there have been no news reports that Gregg Abbot has authorized the deployment of tanks in the wake of the current border crisis. The only similar example is the deployment of Vietnam-era M113 armored personnel carriers in November of 2022. However, these are not tanks. 

Exact location

One publication of the video had received a community note on Twitter stating the video was shot at Fort Stewart in Georgia during an event. It also said the Cottrell field is to the left of the video and included a link to Google Maps coordinates. While some parts of the video and the Google Maps link were similar, such as the crosswalk, the dotted line, and trees, we could not independently verify the community note as Google Streetview is unavailable inside Military Installations such as Fort Stewart. Logically Facts has contacted Fort Stewart for confirmation of the location of the video and will update the check when able. 

Footage of video compared to map on Google Earth. The trees correlate
on the left and right, particularly the one next to the red car.
(Source: TikTok/Screenshot/edited by Logically Facts)

Footage of video compared to map on Google Maps. The crosswalk
and the dashed line correlate with the viral video. 
(Souce: X/Screenshot/Edited by Logically Facts) 

Escalating situation

The situation at the Texas-Mexico border has evolved into a standstill between the U.S. Federal Government and Texas Authorities. The situation has also sparked a "take our border back" convoy consisting of far-right extremists likening the situation to the American Revolution of 1776 and an emerging civil war. Logically Facts has debunked multiple false claims on the topic. These include misattributed footage of German Farmers, a trucker convoy from 2022, and claims that the U.S. Army has been deploying barricades around the White House since 2021. 

The verdict

The Texas Military Department has denied the claim that the Texas National Guard has sent tanks to the Texas-Mexico border. Furthermore, by analyzing the footage in the video, it is clear that it does not show Texas but is most likely an intersection at Fort Stewart in Georgia. We have, therefore, marked the claim as false.