A line of trucks waits for the road to the Ambassador Bridge border crossing in Windsor, Ontario to reopen February 8, 2022, after protesters blocked the road Monday night.
Photo by GEOFF ROBINS/AFP via Getty Images
The Department of Homeland Security is warning that trucker convoys protesting COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the US could begin as soon as Super Bowl weekend, Yahoo News reported on Wednesday.
According to the report, public safety officials and law enforcement have been made aware that “the convoy could severely disrupt transportation, federal government, and law enforcement operations through gridlock and potential counterprotests.”
A notice distributed by Homeland Security on Tuesday says the agency “has received reports of a convoy of truckers planning to potentially block roads in major metropolitan cities in the United States in protest of, among other things, vaccine mandates for truck drivers,” the report said.
According to Yahoo, Homeland Security warned that a group could start in California as early as mid-February, traveling across the country and ending up in Washington by mid-March.
Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment.
Since late January, thousands of Canadian truckers have been protesting COVID-19 lockdown measures and cross-border vaccination requirements as part of a “Freedom Convoy.”
In the US, dozens of right-wing groups have been using Telegram to discuss organizing convoys to protest vaccine mandates around Washington DC — following in the footsteps of ongoing anti-government demonstrations in Canada.
Insider has identified a handful of groups deciding how to best mimic the situation in Canada, including planning routes and what gear to bring.
One specific channel on the app is promoting “emergency food supply” kits, which cost hundreds of dollars.
