As the Freedom Convoy protest continues in Canada, U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials are reportedly warning law enforcement agencies that such a demonstration could happen in the U.S. soon, with truckers planning to travel from California to Washington, D.C.
DHS “has received reports of truck drivers potentially planning to block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates,” reads the memo, according to The Hill. “The convoy will potentially begin in California early as mid-February, potentially impacting the Super Bowl scheduled for 13 February and the State of the Union address scheduled for 1 March.”
While the agency has not received reports of planned violence, other disruptions to transportation, federal government operations, emergency services, and commercial activities are likely “if hundreds of trucks converge in a major metropolitan city.”
Though the agency is "tracking reports of a potential convoy" protesting Covid-19 vaccine mandates, the bulletin reportedly called the plan "aspirational."
The memo comes as Ottawa's mayor declared a state of emergency over the trucker protest, which has paralyzed the downtown area of Canada's capital city.
Canadian protesters insist they will not leave until all Covid-19 restrictions and mandates are lifted, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hasn't given an inch.
So far, hundreds of RCMP officers have been mobilized to support the Ottawa Police Services. We’re also working with municipal partners to further strengthen our response, and we’ll continue to be there with whatever resources are needed to get the situation under control.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) February 8, 2022
Amid the protests, however, some premiers have backed off certain Covid-19 restrictions.