Nielsen sets the Record Straight on Migrant Caravan

Touring the U.S. Mexico border yesterday near San Diego, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen dismissed claims of innocent asylum-seeking women and children fleeing their country for a better life.

Instead, Nielsen “set the record straight,” explaining how the vast majority of the migrant caravan is filled with men of all ages who are eager to cross the border due to economic and family related matters, not because of harsh or violent conditions in their home countries.

At San Diego’s southern Imperial Beach, Nielsen spoke to reporters saying “Wanting a job is not a basis for asylum under U.S. law. Wanting to be reunited with your family is not a basis for asylum under U.S. law. Wanting to live in the U.S. — not a basis for asylum under U.S. law.”

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying “in fact, over 270 individuals along the caravan route have criminal histories, including known gang membership. Those include a number of violent criminals – examples include aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, sexual assault on a child.” Nielsen was steadfast to reiterate this point, however, she said the number of known criminals has grown to over 500 with the continued influx of migrants in Tijuana.

Supporters of President Trump and legal immigration have long argued that the caravan has no right to enter the United States until they are legally vetted and processed just like everybody else. Despite this, the President has been largely attacked by some who claim bouts of racism or that he simply doesn’t like Mexicans.

In a shot at former President Obama, Trump tweeted a video last month noting how Democratic leaders once stood for exactly what he does, but for some reason their views have greatly shifty. In the video Obama says “we simply cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, unchecked and circumventing the line of people waiting patiently, diligently and lawfully to become immigrants in this country.”

I agree with President Obama 100%! pic.twitter.com/PI3aW1Zh5Q

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 23, 2018

Nielson echoed the familiar theme yesterday stating “Let me be clear, the caravan does not give one a special right to enter this country. Members of the caravan will wait in the back of the line of those already waiting to be processed at our ports of entry.”

Just a week ago, the California Globe noted how the first group of roughly 800 migrants arrived at the Tijuana U.S. border. Now, Nielsen says there are more than 6,200 migrants and officials expect that number to grow as high as 10,000.

Tijuana officials have confirmed that most of the migrants in the city are adult males, but major left wing media outlets have appeared to refute this claim instead focusing on photos of children sleeping in horrific conditions.

Let's be clear: when someone uses the term "migrant caravan," this is who they're talking about. Scared, hungry, desperate men, women and children – mostly the latter two.

Try acting like the Christians you claim to be. pic.twitter.com/OBBS1XoFQb

— Josh Moon (@Josh_Moon) November 2, 2018

“To fuel the sympathetic narrative we continue to see repeated in U.S. media, we know that organizers of the caravan have been pushing women and children and others to the front of the caravan in hopes law enforcement will not engage them,” Nielsen said.

Currently, 5,500 troops are stationed and spread out along the border with 1,300 of them spanning California’s southern perimeter. There they are working on everything from building taller wall sections, laying yards of barbed wire and setting up lighting fixtures. It appears to be a tense standoff as it is not clear what the next move by the migrants will be.