Fox News' Shep Smith rejects Trump's migrant caravan claims: 'There is no invasion'

published 29 October 2018

Fox News anchor Shep Smith on Monday pushed back against President Trump's claim that the United States is in danger due to a migrant caravan that is still about 1,000 miles away from the southern border.

The migrants are coming from Central America, fleeing violence and poverty. Trump tweeted on Monday that they need to "go back," and will "not be admitted into the United States unless you go through the legal process. This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!" Many Fox News personalities have also been stoking fear, with Fox & Friends host Brian Kilmeade earlier in the day warning they could bring "diseases."

When Smith came on the air later, he reminded viewers that the 3,000 to 4,000 migrants "are more than two months away, if any of them actually come here, but tomorrow is one week before the midterm election, which is what all of this is about. There is no invasion. No one is coming to get you. There is nothing at all to worry about." The same pearl-clutching over migrants happened in April, Smith said, and after "they got us all riled up," it resulted in 14 arrests. "We're America," he said. "We can handle it. But, like I said, it's a week until the election." Catherine Garcia

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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