# Is Biden really flying in undocumented immigrants at night? {no, he isn't}

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640>\
**Category:** Politics & Elections\
**Created:** [February 17, 2022, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640 "2022-02-17T01:07:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/21 "2022-02-17T12:58:09Z")

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You need not worry too much. The people who believe such utter untruths likely do not possess a passport. However, I am surprized at the number of their bretheren recently making noises north of the border.

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**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/22 "2022-02-17T13:02:11Z")

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This sounds a lot like the recent “news stories” claiming Biden was handing out $450,000 to each “illegal” immigrant.

Extremely loosely based on something that actually happened (there was a court decision requiring the US government to pay some immigrant families who were separated at the border under the Trump administration), the right-wing outrage machine turned it into a “fact” that Biden was handing out a half-million dollars to everybody who came across the border - and now there are tens of thousands of Americans who unreservedly believe it and spread it everywhere.

This sounds the same - a bit of truth (some migrant children being transported by the government) blown up into outrage and seething anger by bad-faith media/politicians (Biden is flying in plane loads of illegal immigrants under cover of night! What are the Democrats hiding? Our way of life is being destroyed!) … and now that gets shared by social media and spreads like a, well, like a virus.

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**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/23 "2022-02-17T13:07:20Z")

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> [@turtlescanfly](#):
>
> but on the other hand we live in crazy times.

… but the crazy times are caused by those people that are making up the shit you just said, not the rational adults. So that’s not a good reason to think that this is plausible.

Basically, if you can ask “is this implausible and sounds like a republican wet dream?” it’s pretty safe to assume it’s false.

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**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/24 "2022-02-17T13:16:10Z")

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> [@Uncle\_Jocko](#):
>
> This sounds a lot like the recent “news stories” claiming Biden was handing out $450,000 to each “illegal” immigrant.

It identical to the “Obama gave 1.8 billion to Iran” bullshit.

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**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/25 "2022-02-17T14:19:03Z")

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Oh no! It’s not just flying!

My conservative in laws have told insisted that their relatives has seen bus-loads of illegal Mexicans being dropped off in East Stroudsburg, PA.

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**Author:** ![Uncle\_Jocko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uncle_jocko/32/2932_2.png) [@Uncle\_Jocko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncle_Jocko)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/26 "2022-02-17T14:25:16Z")

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> [@msmith537](#):
>
> My conservative in laws have told insisted that their relatives has seen bus-loads of illegal Mexicans being dropped off in East Stroudsburg, PA.

Was it at the 31 Flavors? (Kristy Swanson voice): “I guess it’s pretty serious.”

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**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/27 "2022-02-17T14:33:55Z")

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> [@turtlescanfly](#):
>
> P.S. Not trolling or joking. This is a sincere question. Please tell me what the hell is going on. If its not what the right THINKS is going on, what is it really?

What the hell is going on? Right-wing media is fabricating outrageous lies. They’re using their audience’s brains as an open-pit latrine, and relying on gossip to propagate their bullshit.

When someone says the phrase “I heard…” you need to stop them right there and ask them where they heard it. If it’s not directly from a media source, ignore it and don’t repeat it.

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**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/28 "2022-02-17T14:35:42Z")

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…if it’s not directly from a _reputable_ media source. You’ll hear all kinds of bullshit from Alex Jones, OANN, the Blaze, etc.

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**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/29 "2022-02-17T14:37:40Z")

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Am I the only one who not only would call BS immediately, but base it on the fact that any such flights are merely relocating people that are already here rather than bringing them in from another country? Putting someone on a flight from Brownsville or McAllen to Des Moines is not the same thing as putting someone on a flight from Tegucigalpa or San Salvador to Des Moines. Even if he is doing the former (and I’m sure it’s happened more than once - probably happened under Trump, Obama, Clinton, both Bushes, and Reagan as well) it’s not anything I’d find problematic. I’m certain he’s never done the latter.

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**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/30 "2022-02-17T14:45:34Z")

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> [@RitterSport](#):
>
> …f it’s not directly from a _reputable_ media source. You’ll hear all kinds of bullshit from Alex Jones, OANN, the Blaze, etc.

Well yeah. I’m just saying that gossip is a bright-line boundary, you can automatically and categorically rule it out, and you should tell others to do the same. It’s not quite so easy to tell people to disbelieve an authority they see on TV because this activates people’s tribal defenses.

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**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/31 "2022-02-17T14:50:06Z")

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@turtlescanfly, any thoughts on all of the above?

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**Author:** ![SmellMyWort](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SmellMyWort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmellMyWort)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/32 "2022-02-17T16:41:16Z")

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Don’t worry, I hear there are legions of brave truckers protecting your border!

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**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/33 "2022-02-17T16:54:40Z")

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> [@msmith537](#):
>
> My conservative in laws have told insisted that their relatives has seen bus-loads of illegal Mexicans being dropped off in East Stroudsburg, PA.

They were aliens, all right - but not _that_ kind. From an on-the-scene broadcast by WLVR:

**PHILLIPS:** “Ladies and gentlemen, this is the most terrifying thing I have ever witnessed . . . Wait a minute! Someone’s crawling out of the hollow top. Someone or . . . something. I can see peering out of that black hole two luminous disks . . are they eyes? It might be a face. It might be . . .”

_(SHOUT OF AWE FROM THE CROWD)_

**PHILLIPS:** “Good heavens, something’s wriggling out of the shadow like a gray snake. Now it’s another one, and another. They look like tentacles to me. There, I can see the thing’s body. It’s large, large as a bear and it glistens like wet leather. But that face, it . . . Ladies and gentlemen, it’s indescribable. I can hardly force myself to keep looking at it. The eyes are black and gleam like a serpent.”

And it’s unvaccinated!

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**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/34 "2022-02-17T16:57:34Z")

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Look them in the eye and say, “You have it backwards. It’s not Biden flying in undocumented immigrants, it’s Trump. He’s flying them in as employees a Mar-a-Lago so he doesn’t have to pay taxes on them. And he hires unvaccinated ones because he believes only white people deserve the vaccine and wants all Mexicans to die.”

Then say, “When I say shit like that, how do you think I sound?”

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**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/35 "2022-02-17T17:01:23Z")

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> [@Pardel-Lux](#):
>
> You don’t have to fly in illegal immigrants: they come all on their own.

Actually, some percentage of “illegal immigrants” are those who legally arrived in this country (including via plane) but overstayed their visa, some of whom aren’t even from Mexico or other points south. (There are even “illegal immigrants” from Canada and various European countries.)

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**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/36 "2022-02-17T17:05:27Z")

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My wife got a phone call from an aquaintance she hadn’t spoken to in a couple of years. Pretty routine catching up, how’s your family etc. This woman is a school teacher, if that matters. Anyway, when discussing covid and precautions, she mentioned that they were feeling pretty good until the recent upsurge “with all the immigrants being flown around the country every night” spreading COVID. I’m grateful for this thread, because I had absolutely no idea what the fuck she was talking about, although I correctly surmised it was right wing crazy talk.

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**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/37 "2022-02-17T17:06:56Z")

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This only works if the aliens are getting flown into Grovers Mills, NJ.

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**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/38 "2022-02-17T17:10:09Z")

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> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> Look them in the eye and say, “You have it backwards. It’s not Biden flying in undocumented immigrants, it’s Trump. He’s flying them in as employees a Mar-a-Lago so he doesn’t have to pay taxes on them. And he hires unvaccinated ones because he believes only white people deserve the vaccine and wants all Mexicans to die.”
> 
> Then say, “When I say shit like that, how do you think I sound?”

Surprisingly accurate?

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**Author:** ![SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19adc/32.png) [@SpacemanSpiff\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpacemanSpiff_II)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/39 "2022-02-17T17:23:19Z")

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The basis for the claims appears to be what’s described here: [Posts lack context on government migrant flights | AP News](https://apnews.com/article/fact-checking-359038762475) (It’s possible that this has become a lot more common under Biden, as illegal immigration in general has increased a lot.)

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**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\
**Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-biden-really-flying-in-undocumented-immigrants-at-night-no-he-isnt/959640/40 "2022-02-17T17:30:37Z")

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Thoughts are gonna change very quickly if the immigrants start flying in under their own power with a John WIlliams theme song playing in the background.

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