President Donald Trump took to Twitter early Wednesday morning, vowing to stop the migrant caravan seeking asylum in the U.S. The commander in chief tweeted that the US/Mexico border is “sacred” and more troops are on the way to secure it.
“Our military is being mobilized at the Southern Border. Many more troops coming. We will NOT let these Caravans, which are also made up of some very bad thugs and gang members, into the U.S. Our Border is sacred, must come in legally. TURN AROUND!” he wrote.
The president blamed Mexico for allowing the caravan, which is made up of more than 3,500 people fleeing violence in Central American countries, to move closer to the U.S.-Mexico border. In a tweet, he claimed the Mexican government was unwilling or unable to stop the caravan moving from Guatemala into Mexico.
Reports describe the caravan, which is actually made up of two groups, as primarily consisting of women and children in one group, and the other made up of young people. Despite that, Trump described the groups as consisting of “some very tough fighters and people.”
“Fought back hard and viciously against Mexico at Northern Border before breaking through. Mexican soldiers hurt, were unable, or unwilling to stop Caravan. Should stop them before they reach our Border, but won’t!” he said.
Trump’s comments stem from reports on the ground in Mexico that describe crowds using force to overwhelm security forces, or individuals throwing rocks, according to Roll Call . There are no credible reports of a large number of injuries, and the president didn’t offer any details on the alleged harm to soldiers.
Just prior to his tweets, press secretary Sarah Sanders told the press that Mexico had been working hard to slow the migrant’s progress, saying that Mexican authorities had been forcing the people to walk rather than use transportation.
“Mexico has stepped up in an unprecedented way,” Sanders said. “We want to continue to be able to work with them.”
Our military is being mobilized at the Southern Border. Many more troops coming. We will NOT let these Caravans, which are also made up of some very bad thugs and gang members, into the U.S. Our Border is sacred, must come in legally. TURN AROUND!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 31, 2018
The group of migrants making their way toward the U.S. is still hundreds of miles from the border, but Trump has ramped up his rhetoric. Some critics say that the president’s words are an attempt to rile up his base just days before the midterm election.
The president has sent thousands of additional troops to the border, but opponents say that the military forces are limited in what they can do at the border because of an existing law that prevents troops from acting as a police force within U.S. borders.
