Trump Threatens to Send Military to Close Border With Mexico

Says stopping migrants 'far more important' than trade

After a couple of days of non-specific threats regarding a planned migrant caravan heading from Honduras and El Salvador to the US, President Trump is now threatening to send the military to the US-Mexico border, and to close the border entirely.

Trump declared the caravan an “assault on our country,” claiming it is “far more important to me, as President, than trade.” Pentagon officials say they have yet to be assigned any tasks related to a border crackdown.

Mexican officials downplayed the threat, saying that they believe President Trump is “making a political calculation,” and that this is being done primarily for the sake of the US domestic audience, not as a statement of foreign policy.

President Trump has made opposing immigration at the southern border a high priority since the 2016 campaign. At the time, he was vilifying the immigrants as violent rapists, but in the lead-up to the mid-term election, he is focusing on accusing them of being in league with the Democrats.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.