UPDATED: ‘It is a horrifying place to be’: Glenn reflects on his visit to the Rio Grande River with Louie Gohmert

July 21, 2014

The Glenn Beck Program

Update: On Glenn's TV show Monday night, he played video from his visit with Rep. Gohmert:

Original Story:

Before the sun had even risen on Saturday, Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) took Glenn to the border in McAllen, Texas. Met by a pungent stench and piles of discarded clothing and personal items, Glenn toured the scorpions and rattlesnake-ridden bank of the Rio Grande River. It took just a few moments for Glenn to realize anyone – politician or otherwise – claiming the border is secure is telling “the biggest lie.” On radio this morning, Glenn recounted the life changing impact of this 4am trip.

Below is an edited transcript of the monologue and some pictures from the border:

It was a powerful weekend for those of us here at Mercury and those who volunteered their time and went down to the border. We went down with Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX), Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX). It was pretty shocking. And I want to take you through a few things.

I want to take you through, first, what we did when we first got there at 4 o’clock in the morning. We went to the border. Anything about anybody telling you that the border is secure is the biggest lie you've ever heard in your life. It is so far out of control. It's incomprehensible.

1407016_01_137 Photo Credit: George Lange/Lange Studio

Two hours before we got there, there were .50 caliber machine gun rounds were lobbed on to the American side by the drug cartels. .50 caliber machine gun. I don't know. Does that sound like a secure border? The reason why that was happening is they were laying down suppressing fire while they smuggled illegals in. And I want to ask you one question that I think will change your view of what's happening on the border.

Right now we all think about is what's happening with these illegals coming across and swimming across the Rio Grande. And we think about these people who have traveled 30 days on foot. And then they pay $7,000 for a family to go across the Rio Grande. Have we thought about that $7,000 and where that $7,000 is going? The things that our government is now encouraging through their lack of enforcement is reprehensible. So these families go across the river. How do they afford $7,000? They can't. So then how do they get across? They pay the drug lords $3,000 and the drug lords say, ‘Don't worry about it. You know what? You just get over and then we'll work it out.’ Now, what does that mean? I mean, it is Al Capone stuff. You owe us a favor, and so I'm going to call on you and you're going to do these things or I'll kill your whole family. Or they come in and they are doing the drug lords' business here in the United States. Those are two options. I'm sure there are more. But those are two options.

So how do we stop this? Well, we have to be clear on the border. We have to be clear that you don't stay here. But that's not happening anytime soon. Nobody in Washington has any interest. I shouldn't say nobody. The guys I was with, they have interest. But very few people have interest in actually stopping this, because there's a lot of money to be made. And there's a lot of political votes to be had before you just stop what's going on.

Here's the question that I asked. I haven't received an answer on this. We were driving underneath the International Bridge at 4 o’clock in the morning. We are in the woods. We're right at the river. We are looking over the river to Mexico. We're hearing the sounds of coyotes and chickens. I mean actual coyotes, not human coyotes, and chickens in the morning. We're hearing the wild dogs running through this area. It's hot. It's humid. It's 4am. We're seeing the rafts. We're seeing the little teeny children's life jackets that have been discarded all over, piles of them, all over the border. One of them had a scorpion on top of it. There are tarantulas and rattlesnakes. We were told, ‘Make sure you're wearing boots. Make sure you wear long sleeves and you button up your collars.’ It's horrible. It is a horrifying place to be.

1407016_01_089 Photo Credit: George Lange/Lange Studio

The border guards have to go and clean this area up all the time. They haven't had the time to go pick up the sacks of clothes that have been left by them after they cleaned it up. It is a mess. As we're in this area, there is this mile-long international bridge. And it goes from the Mexican side to the American side. And at the end of this bridge is the I.N.S., the border security. Now, we have been told the whole time, ‘All you have to do is come over and turn yourself in. They are seeking out our border patrol.’ Now, two hours before we got to the border, at 2:00am or midnight, somewhere in this area, there was suppressing fire fired into the American side with .50 caliber machine gun. Now, why is that happening? Hang on. Come back to the bridge for a second. They're smuggling people across the water, and those people are looking for the border patrol to turn themselves in and say, ‘I'm here because I'm escaping oppression.’ That's what we're told, right?

1407016_01_123 Photo Credit: George Lange/Lange Studio

Why are they going across the river when there's a bridge right there that is free? You don't have to pay anybody to smuggle you across the bridge, all you have to do is take your family and walk across the bridge and go to the same exact people and say, ‘I'm escaping oppression. I need help.’ And they let you in. Why are they coming across the river? They're coming across the river because the drug cartels benefit from it. The drug cartels will never hear any message except the message from the government of the United States of America. I said, ‘How can we tell the people to stop?’ And the border patrol laughed at me. You're not going to be able to. ‘Do you have the resources that the United States government or the drug cartels have?’ Well, of course not. You're not going to be able to beat the drug cartels with a message. The message the drug cartels want is, ‘Come to us. We will get you across.’ They're making money on this.

More importantly, why are they hitting us with .50 caliber machine gun rounds? Why are they doing it? Why are they on boats? They'll take the weakest swimmer, the one who cannot swim, and when they're coming across the boat with all of these people who paid them, they take the weakest swimmer and throw them out of the boat. They do it so the border agents have to swarm. They only throw that person down into the river so they'll die, so the border patrol – out of compassion – have to come. But then they have their people on the other side. It's called rocking. And what they do is they stand around with stones. And they start pelting our border agents with stones as they're trying to save that individual. They're trying to drive all the border patrol into that one area – misdirection – so people elsewhere can smuggle God only knows what across our border.

1407016_01_114 Photo Credit: George Lange/Lange Studio

So if you don't care about the border because of the people coming across, somebody on the left has got to care about the border because of what else is coming across. And if you don't care about securing our border, let me tell you two stories. Let me tell you about the 15-year-old boy that was found on the shores of the Rio Grande. The 15-year-old boy that was found dumped on the side of the river. Our side. Where was his parents? I don't know. Where was his family? I don't know. How did he get across? I don't know. He was strapped to a wheelchair, and he's a quadriplegic. He couldn't move anything but his head. Luckily, the border patrol found him, dumped off on the American side of the river. Everybody else had left. But the cartels or smugglers completed their contract. They dumped him and his wheelchair face down on the side of the river. The kid would have died had it not been for the border patrol that actually found him. It was 110 heat index when we were there. It's one of the hottest places I've ever been. You don't have water. You die.

Ask yourself: Why aren't people just coming over the bridge? Once you answer that question, you realize what's really going on. I'm going to give you another question: Why is it the president of the United States wants you to know there's a humanitarian crisis? He's the first one to declare it. ‘There's a humanitarian crisis on the border.’ Correct? We've all heard that. We've all heard the left making a very big deal out of it. Why is it no one in the press is allowed to see it? It has been something that has bothered me until I went down.

'Rage against the dying of the light': Charlie Kirk lived that mandate

PHILL MAGAKOE / Contributor | Getty Images

Kirk’s tragic death challenges us to rise above fear and anger, to rebuild bridges where others build walls, and to fight for the America he believed in.

I’ve only felt this weight once before. It was 2001, just as my radio show was about to begin. The World Trade Center fell, and I was called to speak immediately. I spent the day and night by my bedside, praying for words that could meet the moment.

Yesterday, I found myself in the same position. September 11, 2025. The assassination of Charlie Kirk. A friend. A warrior for truth.

Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins.

Moments like this make words feel inadequate. Yet sometimes, words from another time speak directly to our own. In 1947, Dylan Thomas, watching his father slip toward death, penned lines that now resonate far beyond his own grief:

Do not go gentle into that good night. / Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Thomas was pleading for his father to resist the impending darkness of death. But those words have become a mandate for all of us: Do not surrender. Do not bow to shadows. Even when the battle feels unwinnable.

Charlie Kirk lived that mandate. He knew the cost of speaking unpopular truths. He knew the fury of those who sought to silence him. And yet he pressed on. In his life, he embodied a defiance rooted not in anger, but in principle.

Picking up his torch

Washington, Jefferson, Adams — our history was started by men who raged against an empire, knowing the gallows might await. Lincoln raged against slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. raged against segregation. Every generation faces a call to resist surrender.

It is our turn. Charlie’s violent death feels like a knockout punch. Yet if his life meant anything, it means this: Silence in the face of darkness is not an option.

He did not go gently. He spoke. He challenged. He stood. And now, the mantle falls to us. To me. To you. To every American.

We cannot drift into the shadows. We cannot sit quietly while freedom fades. This is our moment to rage — not with hatred, not with vengeance, but with courage. Rage against lies, against apathy, against the despair that tells us to do nothing. Because there is always something you can do.

Even small acts — defiance, faith, kindness — are light in the darkness. Reaching out to those who mourn. Speaking truth in a world drowning in deceit. These are the flames that hold back the night. Charlie carried that torch. He laid it down yesterday. It is ours to pick up.

The light may dim, but it always does before dawn. Commit today: I will not sleep as freedom fades. I will not retreat as darkness encroaches. I will not be silent as evil forces claim dominion. I have no king but Christ. And I know whom I serve, as did Charlie.

Two turning points, decades apart

On Wednesday, the world changed again. Two tragedies, separated by decades, bound by the same question: Who are we? Is this worth saving? What kind of people will we choose to be?

Imagine a world where more of us choose to be peacemakers. Not passive, not silent, but builders of bridges where others erect walls. Respect and listening transform even the bitterest of foes. Charlie Kirk embodied this principle.

He did not strike the weak; he challenged the powerful. He reached across divides of politics, culture, and faith. He changed hearts. He sparked healing. And healing is what our nation needs.

At the center of all this is one truth: Every person is a child of God, deserving of dignity. Change will not happen in Washington or on social media. It begins at home, where loneliness and isolation threaten our souls. Family is the antidote. Imperfect, yes — but still the strongest source of stability and meaning.

Mark Wilson / Staff | Getty Images

Forgiveness, fidelity, faithfulness, and honor are not dusty words. They are the foundation of civilization. Strong families produce strong citizens. And today, Charlie’s family mourns. They must become our family too. We must stand as guardians of his legacy, shining examples of the courage he lived by.

A time for courage

I knew Charlie. I know how he would want us to respond: Multiply his courage. Out of this tragedy, the tyrant dies, but the martyr’s influence begins. Out of darkness, great and glorious things will sprout — but we must be worthy of them.

Charlie Kirk lived defiantly. He stood in truth. He changed the world. And now, his torch is in our hands. Rage, not in violence, but in unwavering pursuit of truth and goodness. Rage against the dying of the light.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

Glenn Beck resurrects the 9-12 Project to support Charlie Kirk's family

Glenn Beck is once again calling on his loyal listeners and viewers to come together and channel the same unity and purpose that defined the historic 9-12 Project. That movement, born in the wake of national challenges, brought millions together to revive core values of faith, hope, and charity.

Glenn created the original 9-12 Project in early 2009 to bring Americans back to where they were in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In those moments, we weren't Democrats and Republicans, conservative or liberal, Red States or Blue States, we were united as one, as America. The original 9-12 Project aimed to root America back in the founding principles of this country that united us during those darkest of days.

This new initiative draws directly from that legacy, focusing on supporting the family of Charlie Kirk in these dark days following his tragic murder.

The revival of the 9-12 Project aims to secure the long-term well-being of Charlie Kirk's wife and children. All donations will go straight to meeting their immediate and future needs. If the family deems the funds surplus to their requirements, Charlie's wife has the option to redirect them toward the vital work of Turning Point USA.

This campaign is more than just financial support—it's a profound gesture of appreciation for Kirk's tireless dedication to the cause of liberty. It embodies the unbreakable bond of our community, proving that when we stand united, we can make a real difference.
Glenn Beck invites you to join this effort. Show your solidarity by donating today and honoring Charlie Kirk and his family in this meaningful way.

You can learn more about the 9-12 Project and donate HERE

The dangerous lie: Rights as government privileges, not God-given

Bloomberg / Contributor | Getty Images

When politicians claim that rights flow from the state, they pave the way for tyranny.

Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) recently delivered a lecture that should alarm every American. During a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, he argued that believing rights come from a Creator rather than government is the same belief held by Iran’s theocratic regime.

Kaine claimed that the principles underpinning Iran’s dictatorship — the same regime that persecutes Sunnis, Jews, Christians, and other minorities — are also the principles enshrined in our Declaration of Independence.

In America, rights belong to the individual. In Iran, rights serve the state.

That claim exposes either a profound misunderstanding or a reckless indifference to America’s founding. Rights do not come from government. They never did. They come from the Creator, as the Declaration of Independence proclaims without qualification. Jefferson didn’t hedge. Rights are unalienable — built into every human being.

This foundation stands worlds apart from Iran. Its leaders invoke God but grant rights only through clerical interpretation. Freedom of speech, property, religion, and even life itself depend on obedience to the ruling clerics. Step outside their dictates, and those so-called rights vanish.

This is not a trivial difference. It is the essence of liberty versus tyranny. In America, rights belong to the individual. The government’s role is to secure them, not define them. In Iran, rights serve the state. They empower rulers, not the people.

From Muhammad to Marx

The same confusion applies to Marxist regimes. The Soviet Union’s constitutions promised citizens rights — work, health care, education, freedom of speech — but always with fine print. If you spoke out against the party, those rights evaporated. If you practiced religion openly, you were charged with treason. Property and voting were allowed as long as they were filtered and controlled by the state — and could be revoked at any moment. Rights were conditional, granted through obedience.

Kaine seems to be advocating a similar approach — whether consciously or not. By claiming that natural rights are somehow comparable to sharia law, he ignores the critical distinction between inherent rights and conditional privileges. He dismisses the very principle that made America a beacon of freedom.

Jefferson and the founders understood this clearly. “We are endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights,” they wrote. No government, no cleric, no king can revoke them. They exist by virtue of humanity itself. The government exists to protect them, not ration them.

This is not a theological quibble. It is the entire basis of our government. Confuse the source of rights, and tyranny hides behind piety or ideology. The people are disempowered. Clerics, bureaucrats, or politicians become arbiters of what rights citizens may enjoy.

John Greim / Contributor | Getty Images

Gifts from God, not the state

Kaine’s statement reflects either a profound ignorance of this principle or an ideological bias that favors state power over individual liberty. Either way, Americans must recognize the danger. Understanding the origin of rights is not academic — it is the difference between freedom and submission, between the American experiment and theocratic or totalitarian rule.

Rights are not gifts from the state. They are gifts from God, secured by reason, protected by law, and defended by the people. Every American must understand this. Because when rights come from government instead of the Creator, freedom disappears.

This article originally appeared on TheBlaze.com.

POLL: Is Gen Z’s anger over housing driving them toward socialism?

NurPhoto / Contributor | Getty Images

A recent poll conducted by Justin Haskins, a long-time friend of the show, has uncovered alarming trends among young Americans aged 18-39, revealing a generation grappling with deep frustrations over economic hardships, housing affordability, and a perceived rigged system that favors the wealthy, corporations, and older generations. While nearly half of these likely voters approve of President Trump, seeing him as an anti-establishment figure, over 70% support nationalizing major industries, such as healthcare, energy, and big tech, to promote "equity." Shockingly, 53% want a democratic socialist to win the 2028 presidential election, including a third of Trump voters and conservatives in this age group. Many cite skyrocketing housing costs, unfair taxation on the middle class, and a sense of being "stuck" or in crisis as driving forces, with 62% believing the economy is tilted against them and 55% backing laws to confiscate "excess wealth" like second homes or luxury items to help first-time buyers.

This blend of Trump support and socialist leanings suggests a volatile mix: admiration for disruptors who challenge the status quo, coupled with a desire for radical redistribution to address personal struggles. Yet, it raises profound questions about the roots of this discontent—Is it a failure of education on history's lessons about socialism's failures? Media indoctrination? Or genuine systemic barriers? And what does it portend for the nation’s trajectory—greater division, a shift toward authoritarian policies, or an opportunity for renewal through timeless values like hard work and individual responsibility?

Glenn wants to know what YOU think: Where do Gen Z's socialist sympathies come from? What does it mean for the future of America? Make your voice heard in the poll below:

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism comes from perceived economic frustrations like unaffordable housing and a rigged system favoring the wealthy and corporations?

Do you believe the Gen Z support for socialism, including many Trump supporters, is due to a lack of education about the historical failures of socialist systems?

Do you think that these poll results indicate a growing generational divide that could lead to more political instability and authoritarian tendencies in America's future?

Do you think that this poll implies that America's long-term stability relies on older generations teaching Gen Z and younger to prioritize self-reliance, free-market ideals, and personal accountability?

Glenn's Show Prep