# Fall 2018 Central America migrant caravan to the US **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 22, 2018, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313 "2018-10-22T01:39:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/21 "2018-10-22T12:21:50Z")
> [@LAZombie](#): > > This has all the makings of an October surprise. They’re a thousand miles or so from the U.S. border. I don’t think they’ll be knocking at the door in 15 days. > [@](#): > > If it becomes violent and the Internet overlords allow footage to get out and be dispersed, this could sway the election in favor of the Republicans. Latinos are not a monolithic group. This caravan has been identified an Honduran which may not sit favorably with those who identify as Mexican American. So if it becomes violent, how? By internal clashes amongst the Hondurans? By clashes between the Hondurans in the caravan, and the Mexicans whose territory they’re passing through? Either one means they’re a lot less likely to arrive at the U.S. border anytime soon, which would make this more of a non-issue. > [@](#): > > Internet overlords What, is there an Internet equivalent of the Deep State or something? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/22 "2018-10-22T13:01:52Z")
Trump has declared (on twitter) that this situation is a “National Emergy”: > ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/23 "2018-10-22T13:36:41Z")
Clearly the U.S. is experiencing an Emergy Crisis. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/24 "2018-10-22T14:23:21Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Trump and the GOP will milk every last drip drop of this ‘crisis.’ Polemic works to their advantage. This we agree on. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/25 "2018-10-22T14:53:04Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Will Trump really roll out a military response to this caravan? I think he will if they make it to the US border. I think that’s a big _IF_ though. Mexico is a huge country, and the group should be pretty dispersed by the time they get to the Rio Grande. Many of the migrants might choose to stay in Mexico. If the majority of them do decide to cross into the US though, it won’t be in one huge mass like they did in Guatemala, they will trickle in through border towns. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Will Americans care? I don’t know. Like I said, by the time they actually get to the US (if they do), they will be so dispersed that the dynamics of the crossing won’t be so dramatic. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Will there be any effect at the ballot box due to the caravan? The migrants won’t be voting. I guess the situation could get a few activists riled up to bring more people to the ballot box on both sides, but I don’t think it will shift the elections one way or the other. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > What _should_ be done? The War on Drugs should be ended. > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > What do you think _will_ be done? Nothing. This will blow over like everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/26 "2018-10-22T15:02:35Z")
[This morning Trump tweeted that he was going to cut off financial aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador because of the migrants](https://apnews.com/935f7f42e3c34b1e98e211bee16af618). > [@](#): > > 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. I note that his tweet shows an incredible ignorance of what governments actually do and do not do: most governments of free peoples do not prevent their own citizens from traveling outside their country. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/27 "2018-10-22T15:16:07Z")
The man wants to be Kim Il-sung, as I have said. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/28 "2018-10-22T15:20:02Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [This morning Trump tweeted that he was going to cut off financial aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador because of the migrants](https://apnews.com/935f7f42e3c34b1e98e211bee16af618).I note that his tweet shows an incredible ignorance of what governments actually do and do not do: most governments of free peoples do not prevent their own citizens from traveling outside their country. I had never thought about it that way. That is utterly terrifying. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/29 "2018-10-22T15:37:25Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > I don’t know. Like I said, by the time they actually get to the US (if they do), they will be so dispersed that the dynamics of the crossing won’t be so dramatic. Yep, and Trump will claim that his strong rhetoric is what kept them from coming. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/30 "2018-10-22T15:41:35Z")
this is fantasy come true for Trump and his fans. And the timing is perfect too. If he was smart he would actually fund this group. ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/31 "2018-10-22T15:43:21Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > If he was smart he would actually fund this group. Who’s to say he’s not? ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/32 "2018-10-22T15:48:38Z")
George Soros funding them right? or some Hollywood liberal billionaire. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/33 "2018-10-22T15:52:47Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > If he was smart he would actually fund this group. > [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Who’s to say he’s not? The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that this was actually directed and funded by GOP operatives. I mean, think about it: who is going to benefit? ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/34 "2018-10-22T15:55:15Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that this was actually directed and funded by GOP operatives. I mean, think about it: who is going to benefit? Sounds like a vast right-wing conspiracy to me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/35 "2018-10-22T15:57:16Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > If he was smart he would actually fund this group. > [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Who’s to say he’s not? The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that this was actually directed and funded by GOP operatives. I mean, think about it: who is going to benefit the most from this? Not the migrants themselves, at least not in the short term. Why would Democrats have funded or directed this? They wouldn’t gain anything from it (and in fact are not gaining anything from it). But the GOP… they stand to gain a lot from the imagery of a city-sized mob pushing up to the border, a mob (of dark skinned people!) so large that the entire Mexican police force and army didn’t even try and stop them… :eek: ETA: Sorry for the sort-of double post y’all. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/36 "2018-10-22T15:59:50Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > The more I think about it, the more it makes sense that this was actually directed and funded by GOP operatives. I mean, think about it: who is going to benefit? If you want to convince people to accept a nutty hypothesis, best not to encourage them to think about it. The timing of this is not good for the Democrats, and even if it’s not a deal breaker, every little bit helps (or hurts). But this is a tough and complex problem and I’m not sure what the best solution is. I expect that whatever solution Trump comes up with, It will be: 1. Overly simplistic. 2. Unlikely to work. 3. Possibly/likely to be unconstitutional. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/37 "2018-10-22T16:02:12Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Sounds like a vast right-wing conspiracy to me 😉 You joke but you know that there are and have been recent right-wing conspiracies (of debatable "vastness, no doubt), right? ---
**Author:** ![EscAlaMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/escalamike/32/4177_2.png) [@EscAlaMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EscAlaMike)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/38 "2018-10-22T16:04:35Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > If you want to convince people to accept a nutty hypothesis, best not to encourage them to think about it. Agreed, I hope everyone could see that my comments were tongue-in-cheek. This is just an example of the Trump administration not letting a good crisis go to waste. They are exploiting this situation to their advantage. The Central American migrant crisis is directly the fault of the US government however, both R’s and D’s, as it is directly caused by the bi-partisan War on Drugs. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/39 "2018-10-22T16:13:58Z")
> [@EscAlaMike](#): > > Agreed, I hope everyone could see that my comments were tongue-in-cheek. > > This is just an example of the Trump administration not letting a good crisis go to waste. They are exploiting this situation to their advantage. > > The Central American migrant crisis is directly the fault of the US government however, both R’s and D’s, as it is directly caused by the bi-partisan War on Drugs. It’s even worse than that. There IS no crisis. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2018, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/40 "2018-10-22T16:15:23Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > [This morning Trump tweeted that he was going to cut off financial aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador because of the migrants](https://apnews.com/935f7f42e3c34b1e98e211bee16af618).I note that his tweet shows an incredible ignorance of what governments actually do and do not do: most governments of free peoples do not prevent their own citizens from traveling outside their country. What. The. Everloving. F… You do realize, Orange Moron (and the fools who voted for him – sorry, I had to say it), that: 1. There is no migration crisis, and 2. Even if there were, this is EXACTLY the kind of action that would make it WORSE. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313.md?page=3)