Trump supporters form human 'wall' along US-Mexico border: 'Build a wall!'

Trump supporters advocating for a border wall formed a human barrier Saturday near Sunland Park, New Mexico, and the Ciudad Juarez border in Chihuahua, Mexico.

What happened?

Dozens showed up for the event, carrying American flags, wearing red "Make America Great Again" hats, and chanting "build a wall," and "USA," according to published reports. Some carried signs with sayings like "STOP the drugs destroying our youth."

The group linked arms and lined up along an area where the border fence finishes to create a makeshift continuation of the fence, KFOX-TV reported.

A YouTube video of the demonstration reportedly showed an organizer speaking to the crowd about violence against border patrol agents along the border. Through a megaphone, he asked them if they believe it's right "that these gentlemen have to kiss their families every night potentially it being their last night for them because of this?" The crowd answered: “No!"

The event happened two days ahead of President Donald Trump's rally in El Paso on Monday, which is not far from where the the group gathered. Trump is expected to speak on border security during his 2020 campaign rally at the El Paso County Coliseum. Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is also expected to attend, according to KFOX.

The human wall may have been prompted by a tweet by the president on Tuesday in which he cited "Tremendous numbers of people are coming up through Mexico in the hopes of flooding our Southern Border."

What is the background?

Congress has sparred with the president over his demands for a $5.7 billion wall along the border. A stalemate over the issue led to a 35-day partial government shutdown. Lawmakers reportedly are finalizing a plan that would cost about $1.6 billion for border security. If Trump accepts their plan, another government shutdown could be avoided.

Trump signed a resolution in January to reopen the government until Feb. 15 so that negotiations on border security could continue.

The president has threatened to declare a national emergency to avoid another shutdown if no agreement is reached by the Feb. 15 deadline.

Meanwhile, Pentagon announced last Sunday that nearly 4,000 additional active duty troops will be deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border, Fox News reported.