Fact-Checking Trump’s Caravan Claims

Leading up to the midterms, President Donald Trump sprang into action to energize the Republican base. Along with continued attacks on the legitimacy of the media and rallies to support vulnerable incumbents, Trump has repeatedly parroted an extraordinary claim: the US is about to be invaded by a caravan of thousands of Honduran migrants. Given the continued degradation of media credibility, it is absolutely essential to know the truth about the president’s statements.

Claim #1: The migrants intend to enter the country illegally.

According to Axios, a majority of the immigrants will seek asylum. This entails presenting themselves at a port of entry and providing evidence of persecution in their home country. However, this is unlikely to be successful: Few claims of asylum have been accepted in recent years, and the Trump administration even imprisoned thousands of migrant families seeking asylum earlier this year.

Claim #2: Trump can reverse birthright citizenship through an executive order.

Citizenship is guaranteed to anyone born under US jurisdiction in the fourteenth amendment. Trump supporters would be hard-pressed to find a legal scholar supporting the idea that the constitution can be amended with an executive order.

Claim #3: Unknown Middle Easterners are among those in the caravan.

In an October 22nd tweet, the President ignited fears of Islamic terrorism by claiming that “unknown Middle Easterners” were spotted in the caravan. Later, when pressed for evidence, even he admitted that “there’s no proof of anything.”

Regardless of the intention behind these claims, such consistent inaccuracy pertaining to an important issue remains a cause for concern. Only time will tell whether Trump will correct his inaccuracies.