Migrant caravan: Asylum seekers travel through Mexico as Trump walks back suggestion that migrants throwing stones will be shot at border
Critics say the president is stoking fears about the caravan for political reasons ahead of midterm elections
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Your support makes all the difference.Thousands of refugees and migrants from Central America are walking and hitchhiking northwards through Mexico, with Donald Trump walking back his suggestion that any migrants found throwing stones at the US border could be shot by the military.
In addition to this original group, more than 1,000 migrants in a second caravan that forced its way across the river from Guatemala have begun arriving in the southern Mexico city of Tapachula.
President Trump made clear Thursday he will do everything in his power to stop them, dispatching extra troops, threatening to shut border entirely and saying in an afternoon press conference the military would consider rocks thrown at active troops "firearms". He later said that no migrants would be shot by the American military, but that anyone throwing rocks would be arrested.
The issue is being amplified by the president with less than a week before the midterm elections, and various sources have implied or stated without proof that Democrats and progressive donors are somehow funding the caravan that is composed of individuals and families fleeing dangerous conditions in their home countries in Central America. Others, including Mr Trump, have claimed — again, without proof — that the caravan includes "Middle Easterners". The president also indicated that he has no proof that Middle Easterners are in the caravan.
While numerous news outlets and watchdog groups have tried and failed to find proof for those claims — and none has been provided — Republicans clearly see a winning strategy in trying to tie Democrats to the caravan.
In the contentious Texas Senate race, for example, Senator Ted Cruz has attacked his Democratic opponent, Congressman Beto O'Rourke, and claimed that his campaign has been funding the migrant caravan. That statement was not substantiated with evidence that any of that financial support has occurred.
To see how the day unfolded, follow our live blog below.
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Thank you for following our live coverage of the migrant caravan heading to the US-Mexico border. We'll be back tomorrow bringing you all the latest on this ongoing story.
Last night, Donald Trump raised the issue of birthright citizen at a 'Make America Great Again' rally in Florida - hitting at a policy which he has vowed to end.
Mr Trump has also pinned a video alleging Democrats were responsible for allowing a convicted cop killer into the US to the top of his Twitter feed. But he is providing no evidence supporting his claim.
Mr Trump has highlighted the case of Luis Bracamontes, a twice-deported immigrant from Mexico sentenced to death in California for killing two police officers.
The advert includes expletives uttered by Bracamontes during his trial professing regret at not killing more officials.
The captioned reads: "Illegal immigrant, Luis Bracamontes, killed our people!" It adds: "Democrats let him into our country...Democrats let him stay."
The video includes scenes of a migrant "caravan," warning, "Who else would Democrats let in?" Mr Trump provides no evidence linking Democrats to Bracamontes.
Here are some more words from Mr Trump at the rally in Florida last night. There is no doubt he is using hardline immigration rhetoric to try and push his supporters to the polls in next week's midterm elections.
Mr Trump also spoke about the issue in an interview aired last night on ABC. he claimed a that a military presence on the border is needed to protect from the thousands of refugees and migrants heading to the border - many of them fleeing violence in Central America.
"We have to have a wall of people," Mr Trump said. His call to send troops to the border has been condemned by a number of human rights groups.
It appears migrants won't be getting the buses they were hoping for to travel towards Mexico City, the Associated Press has reported:
"Thousands of weary Central Americans in a migrant caravan aiming to reach the United States had their visions of quick transport hundreds of miles ahead to Mexico City dashed Wednesday as dozens of hoped-for buses failed to materialize.
The migrants took the day off from walking and hitching rides in packed trucks from small town to small town as representatives tried to negotiate rides for all 4,000 or so in hope of relief from the long and exhausting grind.
But as the day wore on there was no sign Mexican authorities intended to accede to the demand, and by evening leaders acknowledged it wasn’t going to happen."
Donald Trump’s administration was entirely aware far fewer migrants would actually reach the US-Mexico border than the thousands currently seen in southern Mexico, according to a Newsweek investigation.
However, the president still plans on sending as many as 15,000 active duty troops to the region — a larger presence than that currently serving in Afghanistan.
When asked if the surge in active duty troops heading to the US-Mexico border was “political stunt” ahead of the 2018 midterm elections, US Defence Secretary James Mattis responded, “We don’t do stunts.”
The comment was met with immediate criticism online, with pundits and reports noting the massive presence would be larger than the current rate of troops in Afghanistan.
As Donald Trump points to the migrant caravans travelling towards the United States as a reason to vote Republican, a wave of Democratic candidates across the country have used the controversy to juxtapose their own stances on the issue.
Maryland Senator Rich Madaleno tweeted this message after the president spent the week suggesting he would eliminate birthright citizenship for children born in the US:
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