Trump claims without evidence that new migrant caravan is forming, and threatens to cut aid to Central America

Donald Trump is stoking fears around immigration by claiming without evidence that a new migrant caravan is getting ready to head from Central America to the US border.

Amid a week-long government shutdown the president raised several issues in a number of Friday morning tweets to push for the $5 billion in border wall funding he has so far been denied by Congress. One of those was a new threat to shut the US-Mexico border.

“We will be forced to close the Southern Border entirely if the Obstructionist Democrats do not give us the money to finish the Wall & also change the ridiculous immigration laws that our Country is saddled with,” Mr Trump wrote in a first tweet. “Hard to believe there was a Congress & President who would approve!”

The US government has been partially shut down since last Friday when the president refused to support a bipartisan funding bill that would have kept the government running without border wall funding, even though his administration had indicated earlier in the week that the president would not force a shutdown over his wall.

The president suggested in his tweets on Friday that shutting down the border would be a “profit making operation” — and said that doing so would “bring our car industry back”, and threatened to pull international aide for Honduras Guatemala, and El Salvador, where migrants have fled violence and poverty.

“Either we build (finish) the Wall or we close the Border … Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador are doing nothing for the United States but taking our money,” Mr Trump tweeted.

“Word is that a new Caravan is forming in Honduras and they are doing nothing about it. We will be cutting off all aid to these 3 countries - taking advantage of U.S. for years!”

It is unclear whether a new caravan is actually forming, or where Mr Trump may have gotten that information.

Mr Trump has used the prospect of incoming migrant caravans to drum up support from his base in the past, and frequently mentioned the issue in the run up to the 2018 midterm elections even though that caravan was hundreds of miles from the US border at that time.

After funding for the US government lapsed last Friday, roughly 420,000 workers were deemed essential and are working unpaid, while an additional 380,000 have been put on hold.

House politicians were told on Thursday to not expect a vote, and that they would be given a 24 hour notice if any deals are struck.

A new Congress will be sworn in on 3 January, when Democrats will regain control of the House. That is likely to make border wall funding even more difficult for Mr Trump to secure.