The border security movement had been losing steam, but is being reinvigorated by the focus of presidential candidate Donald Trump,
Politico reports.
The Republican Party, hoping to lure more Hispanic voters, had not planned to focus on illegal immigration or border security during the 2016 election cycle, but that changed when Trump uttered the now infamous words about Mexican immigrants during his June 16 entry into the GOP race.
"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best," Trump said. "They're sending people that have lots of problems … They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
The quote sparked outrage, but led to focus on border security.
Members of the Minuteman Project, in which armed civilians keep watch over the Mexican border, feel bolstered by Trump's focus on illegal immigration and his trip to Loredo, Texas, on Thursday.
They are looking into continuing their battle not just on the border, but in America's sanctuary cities that have vowed not to turn illegal immigrants over to federal officials for deportation.
Following the killing of Kate Steinle, allegedly by a five-time deported illegal immigrant in San Francisco, Congress is holding hearings on withholding federal funds from such cities.
"None of this would have happened without Donald Trump’s participation," Minuteman Project founder Jim Gilchrist told Politico. "I have to laud that man until the end of time."
Without support from the government, the group, founded a decade ago, has turned to infighting, but Trump has helped turn that around.
Gilchrist supported Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the presidential primaries until Trump announced his run. The group has united behind Trump, easing the tensions within it.
"Donald Trump has unified the Minuteman movement," Gilchrist said. "Donald Trump himself has done this. He is the go-to guy."