U.S. declares ‘national emergency’ as growing caravan heads North

by WorldTribune Staff, October 22, 2018

As the migrant caravan heading north through Mexico grew in size to some 7,000, President Donald Trump on Oct. 22 said he has notified border patrol and the military of what he called a “national emergency.”

Trump tweeted: “Sadly, it looks like Mexico’s Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!”

President Donald Trump tweeted that ‘Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in’ with migrants heading north in the caravan. / AP

The president also said the U.S. would be cutting off some aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador for doing nothing to stop the migrants. The three countries received a combined more than $500 million in funding from the U.S. in fiscal year 2017.

Trump tweeted: “Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were not able to do the job of stopping people from leaving their country and coming illegally to the U.S. We will now begin cutting off, or substantially reducing, the massive foreign aid routinely given to them.”

Trump also took a shot at Democrats, tweeting: “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! Remember the Midterms! So unfair to those who come in legally.”

According to some reports, videos have emerged of people handing out cash to the migrants, raising suspicions that the caravan has received outside funding for its trek to the U.S.’s southern border.

Related: Barack Obama, Honduras and the ‘October surprise’ caravan, Oct. 19, 2018

Meanwhile, The Associated Press was reportedly bullied by liberals into correcting one of its headlines after the wire service described the caravan as an “army of migrants”.

“A ragged, growing army of migrants resumes march toward US,” read the original headline on the AP story. The AP later changed the headline to replace the word “army” with “caravan”.

Though the AP has used the word “army” to refer to large groups of people besides migrants – including nurses and political activists – many on the political left criticized the wire service for its original headline.

The correction was made soon after liberal pundit Soledad O’Brien scolded the news organization for applying the word “army” in describing the caravan.

O’Brien tweeted: “Hey @AP – it’s not an army. Really inappropriate to call it as such. Do better.”

The National Association for Hispanic Journalists also criticized the AP, cautioning that “terms such as ragtag and poor must be exchanged for words that are less biased and assumptive.”


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