Washington, Oct 23 (UNI) Donald Trump has said that he has alerted the military and federal border authorities that a US-bound migrant caravan from Central America was a
“national emergency”, and warned that the United States would begin curtailing aid to the region.
A Pentagon spokesman, however, said the Pentagon had received no new orders to provide troops for border security.
In series of tweets on Monday Trump asserted that "criminals and unknown Middle Easterners" are amid the crowd, for which he offered no evidence. He also said Democrats are
to blame for not working with his administration on immigration reform.
"Every time you see a Caravan, or people illegally coming, or attempting to come, into our Country illegally, think of and blame the Democrats for not giving us the votes to change
our pathetic Immigration Laws! Remember the Midterms! So unfair to those who come in legally," Trump tweeted.
He went on to tweet that the Mexican federal police have been unable to stop the sea of humanity.
The Mexican officers have been monitoring the caravan since the crowds breached a fence Friday at the Mexico-Guatemalan border and pushed past border patrol agents.
"Sadly, it looks like Mexico's Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States," Trump tweeted "Criminals and unknown
Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!"
The president also blasted the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador -- the countries that make up the so-called "Northern Triangle" of Central America -- for
failing to prevent the exodus of people from their country. He threatened to cut off aid.
"Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were not able to do the job of stopping people from leaving their country and coming illegally to the U.S. We will now begin cutting off, or
substantially reducing, the massive foreign aid routinely given to them," Trump tweeted Monday.
According to the United Nations, more than a week after 160 migrants set out from the Honduran city of San Pedro Sula, the caravan has gradually grown to more than 7,200
people.
Members of the caravan, currently moving slowly through southern Mexico have said that they are fleeing abject poverty and the violence that has turned the region into one of the
most dangerous in the world.
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