# 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:** 5
**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 23, 2018, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/81 "2018-10-23T15:46:20Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > No, you haven’t. Poe’s Law (I hope!) ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/82 "2018-10-23T16:52:13Z")
> [@wguy123](#): > > I’ve seen suicide bomb vests strapped to unknown numbers of scary looking people in the photos. Please share said photos. Thanks in advance. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/83 "2018-10-23T18:42:36Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > Why do you rule out that first On-The-One-Hand option? Let’s say that we _do,_ in fact, feel like telling them to bugger off; and, if they happen to be standing in Mexico when we tell them that, then, okay, by default it gets left “to the Mexicans”. So? It’s the humanitarian argument- if we have thousands of hungry, homeless people showing up on our doorstep, and said doorstep is a nation that’s rather dysfunctional and impoverished, is it the ethical and moral thing to just shut the border and tell them to fuck off? I don’t think so. But it’s also not automatically our problem because these people just decided they wanted to come here either- we can’t be responsible for what happens to anyone who wants to come here, and who has bad stuff happen to them in the attempt, or who doesn’t follow the rules. That’s why I said that we’re kind of caught- neither option is great for the US. The real villain here is the Mexican government; they’re just passing the buck, which is shitty. This should be their problem- thousands of people just showing up illegally, but apparently they’re willing to just let them go. ---
**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 23, 2018, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/84 "2018-10-23T18:48:44Z")
> [@Railer13](#): > > Please share said photos. Thanks in advance. I said _Poe’s Law_, people! [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21280333&postcount=39371](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21280333&postcount=39371) ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/85 "2018-10-23T19:19:50Z")
I had not read this thread until now, but I indicated to a friend earlier via e-mail the possibility that this whole thing is an engineered Republican reelection ploy. Now I see other Dopers here saying the same thing. I was being sort of tongue in cheek but what gives the prospect some credibility is their outrageous behavior in other regards. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/86 "2018-10-23T20:11:29Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I said _Poe’s Law_, people! > > [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21280333&postcount=39371](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21280333&postcount=39371) Everyone else figured it out. I wouldn’t worry about two who can’t. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/87 "2018-10-23T21:00:01Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > No, you haven’t. I said “unknown numbers”. Zero is a number, isn’t it? I made a fact-free assertion, just like the president. ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/88 "2018-10-23T21:01:17Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I said _Poe’s Law_, people! > > [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21280333&postcount=39371](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21280333&postcount=39371) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/89 "2018-10-23T21:16:21Z")
> [@](#): > > …The President also tried — and failed — to get Vice President Mike Pence to accuse Democrats of funding the caravan, and to say there were Islamic State members in the caravan. > > Pence did say that, during a phone call earlier Tuesday, the vice president of Honduras had told him that the group “was organized by leftist organizations and financed by Venezuela.” > > “What else did they say, Mike, about ISIS?” Trump attempted. “Did they say something?” > > They hadn’t. Pence returned to talking about leftist groups… [https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/no-proof-of-anything-trump-unravels-when-pressed-on-migrant-conspiracies](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/no-proof-of-anything-trump-unravels-when-pressed-on-migrant-conspiracies) Yeah, sure. First, find a bunch of radical Islamic terrorists who speak Spanish. With a _Honduran_ accent. A passing familiarity with Catholic customs and practices would help. Skin tone is about right, so that’s a plus. Blend right in. For maybe thirty seconds. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/90 "2018-10-23T23:05:13Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > You clearly had what I hope was merely a temporary lapse in reading comprehension when you read **Bo** ’s post. I hope it is temporary, but it remains. Especially with follow up posts like this: > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Trump is demanding that the Central American countries start prohibiting their countries from coming the America, and if they don’t, he’s going to cut off aid to them. > 1-How does a country even pretending to be a democracy stop their citizens from legally leaving the country? > 2-The people are coming to the United States because of violence and poverty in their home countries. Does Trump think that by cutting aid there will be some miraculous economic revolution? 1. Again, Trump (or anyone else for that matter) is not saying that these countries should imprison their own people. 2. Trump is simply demanding that we get value for our money or else it being cut off. If you could show me that the corrupt governments in those countries are investing every single penny of that money wisely, but damn, they just cannot seem to have a functioning society, then you have something. We have been giving money for years with no results. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2018, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/91 "2018-10-23T23:54:52Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > 1. Trump is simply demanding that we get value for our money or else it being cut off. If you could show me that the corrupt governments in those countries are investing every single penny of that money wisely, but damn, they just cannot seem to have a functioning society, then you have something. We have been giving money for years with no results. Boy howdy, you’re reading a metric ton of complexity into what Trump means. He ought to hire you as his interpreter. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/92 "2018-10-24T00:12:56Z")
> [@bump](#): > > It’s the humanitarian argument- if we have thousands of hungry, homeless people showing up on our doorstep, and said doorstep is a nation that’s rather dysfunctional and impoverished, is it the ethical and moral thing to just shut the border and tell them to fuck off? I don’t think so. > > But it’s also not automatically our problem because these people just decided they wanted to come here either- we can’t be responsible for what happens to anyone who wants to come here, and who has bad stuff happen to them in the attempt, or who doesn’t follow the rules. > > That’s why I said that we’re kind of caught- neither option is great for the US. > > The real villain here is the Mexican government; they’re just passing the buck, which is shitty. This should be their problem- thousands of people just showing up illegally, but apparently they’re willing to just let them go. Well, apparently a lot of these people typically decide to stay in Mexico and apply for asylum there. No idea how likely those applications are to be approved. Possibly some of them decide to stay in Mexico illegally. But if the Mexican government doesn’t think it’s a big deal to have Hondurans moving to their country permanently, why should they object to just letting them pass through on the way to their ultimate destinations? ---
**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 24, 2018, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/93 "2018-10-24T00:21:32Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > …2) Trump is simply demanding that we get value for our money or else it being cut off. If you could show me that the corrupt governments in those countries are investing every single penny of that money wisely, but damn, they just cannot seem to have a functioning society, then you have something. We have been giving money for years with no results. We don’t give money to countries to “get results”, we give it to them to help people. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/94 "2018-10-24T00:51:06Z")
It’s unclear to me on further examination what the Mexican government policy actually is. [This](https://www.gob.mx/sre/en/prensa/the-mexican-government-reaffirms-its-commitment-to-joint-efforts-on-migration) official statement sounds sympathetic to the caravaneers, but also says that Mexico has deported 400 of them. Clearly they could easily round them all up (or at least force them to disperse into smaller, less obvious, groups), and they aren’t doing that, so why pick on those 400 guys in particular? ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/95 "2018-10-24T01:24:37Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Boy howdy, you’re reading a metric ton of complexity into what Trump means. He ought to hire you as his interpreter. It’s too bad for all these complex interpretations that Donald Trump is an actual person who keeps opening his mouth and giving the impression that he thinks all immigration to the United States is a perpetual Mariel Boatlift from every shithole country on the planet. ---
**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 24, 2018, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/96 "2018-10-24T02:05:02Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > 1. Again, Trump (or anyone else for that matter) is not saying that these countries should imprison their own people. No one in this thread has made that argument. Congratulations on once again posting something completely irrelevant! You’re good at this! > [@UltraVires](#): > > 1. Trump is simply demanding that we get value for our money or else it being cut off. If you could show me that the corrupt governments in those countries are investing every single penny of that money wisely, but damn, they just cannot seem to have a functioning society, then you have something. We have been giving money for years with no results. No, that isn’t what he said. That’s your interpretation of what he said, one made without any reliance on his words at all. In fact, I’m suspicious that you just made the whole thing up yourself, _just like Donald Trump makes things up_. Because you can’t possibly know what he’s thinking, anymore than the rest of us can. But some of us are going by his words, not by our desires. ---
**Author:** ![doorhinge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a5b964/32.png) [@doorhinge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doorhinge)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/97 "2018-10-24T02:43:22Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > We don’t give money to countries to “get results”, we give it to them to help people. Who is this “we” you are referring to? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/98 "2018-10-24T02:57:09Z")
A star of David was seen on a truck where the migrant caravan was marching, and some of the marchers scrambled on board. According to the insane, this is proof, I tell you, _ **proof** _, that George Soros is funding the caravan. (warning, right wing sludge) [https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/whos-behind-the-migrant-caravan-invasion-george-soros-and-the-telltale-star-of-david](https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/whos-behind-the-migrant-caravan-invasion-george-soros-and-the-telltale-star-of-david) ---
**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 24, 2018, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/99 "2018-10-24T03:01:47Z")
> [@doorhinge](#): > > Who is this “we” you are referring to? This brief post brings to mind several possibilities to explain it’s presence in the thread. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2018, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313/100 "2018-10-24T03:59:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > …(warning, right wing sludge) > [https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/whos-behind-the-migrant-caravan-invasion-george-soros-and-the-telltale-star-of-david](https://fellowshipoftheminds.com/whos-behind-the-migrant-caravan-invasion-george-soros-and-the-telltale-star-of-david) Love the insert from Wikipedia explaining to the reader what the “Star of David” is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fall-2018-central-america-migrant-caravan-to-the-us/823313.md?page=6)