On Tuesday, President Donald Trump was asked about his recent tweet that "criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in" with the migrant caravan in southern Mexico. At first, he deflected, telling reporters that the US Border Patrol has apprehended people from the Middle East before. When a journalist asked him if he had any proof that Middle Easterners are in the caravan right now, Trump simply said, "Well, they could very well be."
Asked again for some proof, the President answered, "There's no proof of anything. But they could very well be."
Trump's backtracking is no surprise. This misinformation campaign serves to obscure the truth about these desperate people, and to stir up Trump's base of voters.
On Monday morning Trump tweeted, "Every time you see a Caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change our pathetic Immigration Laws!"
With this comment, Trump is blaming Democrats for compassionate policies that we should be proud to continue. Under US and international law, people in the caravan can apply for asylum and other forms of humanitarian relief at our border. They have this legal right whether or not they have papers or authorization to enter the country.
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