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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Mr Trump has spoken about the migrant caravan during an "American Workers" event at the White House - saying he wants immigrants to come in legally:
Critics have suggested that the Trump administration's plan to send military troops to the US border is a campaign stunt, a claim that US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis denied.
Reuters reported that the critics such as the American Civil Liberties Union have suggested that Mr Trump is simply using the migrant caravan to politicize the military ahead of the upcoming election on November 6. Mattis denied this claim, saying "we don't do stunts in this department."
Earlier this week, a guest on Fox suggested that the migrants are infected with leprosy. Others have accused them of being infected with Smallpox, even though the disease was globally eradicated in the 1980's. WIRED published an article explaining why it would be nearly impossible for people in the caravan to have these diseases and bring them to the United States.
Here is some video of preparations by some of the military to head down to the US border.
Mr Trump says that attempts to thwart the caravan are not fear-mongering. He also said that he would send up to 15,000 troops to the border.
"I want people to come into our country, but I want them to come in legally," the President said just outside the White House.
Mexico's top security official has appeared to suggest there was some kind of conspiracy behind the two migrant caravans already in Mexico, related to the US midterm elections.
Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete says "the fact that this is being done at a time when there are election campaigns in the country they're headed for, that's not a coincidence, that's not chance, that's the reason why."
Some in the US have suggest such a conspiracy, but have offered little to no evidence.
Activists with the caravan have denied there is any political motivation in the timing of the event - with the caravans set to reach the border after the elections.
A second migrant caravan is on its way to the US border, roughly 250 miles behind the larger caravan group.
Estimates vary regarding the size of the first caravan group, and the second group has about 1,000, AP reports. The second group is still 1,000 miles from the US border.
Outside the White House earlier, Mr Trump spoke about his criticism of Paul Ryan, who in turn had criticised Mr Trump's remarks about using an executive order to revoke birthright citizenship.
Mr Trump said the issue was “much less complex” than people think.
“This is not a Constitutional amendment,” he said. He said it’s a “simple vote in Congress” or an executive order, though he would prefer the former.
Donald Trump has tweeted a video featuring footage from the migrant caravan and asking followers to vote Republican.
It starts with footage of a man claiming that he killed police officers and would break out of prison to kill more. "Illegal immigrant Louis Bramanontes, killed our people!"
The video says that democrats let him in and shows footage of people tearing down a fence and flooding the other side. It also shows who is allegedly part of the caravan, apparently saying that he wanted to enter the US for a pardon for an attempted murder charge.
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