Trump baselessly claims 'unknown Middle Easterners' are 'mixed in' with migrant caravan

Members of the migrant caravan.
(Image credit: John Moore/Getty Images)

President Trump is taking his wild claims about the Central American migrant caravan to the next level.

The president on Monday morning claimed, without citing any evidence, that "unknown Middle Easterners" are "mixed in" with the caravan of migrants currently making its way toward the United States. These migrants are from Central America, primarily Honduras, and many are coming to the U.S. in hopes of escaping violence and poverty in their home countries, CBS reports.

The president had previously been claiming, again without citing evidence, that the caravan is full of "hardened criminals" and that "these aren't little angels coming into our country," reports BuzzFeed News. When a reporter asked Trump what evidence he had to support this statement, he responded, "Oh, please. Please. Don't be a baby."

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As is often the case, Trump's source this morning may very well be Fox & Friends. Media Matters' Matthew Gertz pointed out that during a Monday discussion of the migrant caravan on Trump's favorite morning show, a guest speculated that ISIS terrorists could be infiltrating the caravan, offering no proof other than the fact that the president of Guatemala recently said that 100 suspected terrorists had been apprehended by his administration. This original report, however, had nothing to do with the caravan at all.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.