When the migrant caravan made its way to the US border last fall, it made national headlines.
Thousands of immigrants tried to cross illegally into the US from Mexico.
But while many believe the crisis is finally over, Trump just got the worst news ever about the caravan.
Donald Trump spent the fall of 2018 focused mostly on the migrant caravan making its way up Central America and Mexico to the southern border of the United States.
And while that caravan failed to enter the country illegally, it turned out that wasn’t the end.
Now, President Trump just got the worst possible news about a new wave of migrant caravans.
Breitbart reports, “There are three migrant caravans headed to the United States’ southern border with Mexico, according to top Pentagon official John Rood.”
Rood testified to the House Armed Services Committee this past week and informed Congress that caravans numbering as many as 12,000 migrants are heading towards the US border.
“Current information shows that a caravan of over 12,000 people — there’s three that we are tracking, that the DHS is tracking en route, one that is over 12,000 by the latest estimate,” said Rood.
Rood currently serves as the under-Secretary of Defense for policy in the Trump administration.
His testimony included news that over 2,300 US soldiers are in the process of being deployed to the southern border to beef up America’s security presence in preparation.
Democrats have slammed this move as a political stunt by President Trump to energize his base heading into the 2020 Presidential election.
Rood rejects those claims, as do many high-profile individuals inside the Pentagon.
“That was a decision made inside the Department,” said Navy Adm. Michael Gilday, the Director for Operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, when asked about the troop deployment.
Democrats have not stopped attacking the move however, but Republicans are beginning to fire back.
Texas Congressman Mac Thornberry (R) has stated that the troop deployment was necessitated by an unprecedented wave of migrant immigrants streaming north towards the American border.
However, Rood warns that these measures may not be enough unless Congress approves President Trump’s proposal for a new border wall with Mexico.
“[Rood] said last year, there were more than 521,000 apprehensions by law enforcement, with a larger amount of people not apprehended. He said that was up from 415,000 the year before,” reports Breitbart.
As the caravan makes it’s way north, it is unclear if they will reach the US border by the February 15th deadline for Congress to agree on a compromise for border security funding.
If Congress does not agree to a new funding package, a second Federal shutdown would soon follow.
President Trump has vowed to build a wall with Mexico one way or another, even if it means declaring a state of emergency and ordering the military to construct the wall.
We will keep you up to date with any new developments in this ongoing story.
