§78 —
On the caravan
Democrat
203
The response. On October 29, 2018, the Pentagon announced 5,200 troops for the border in "Operation Faithful Patriot" 1. Its report to Congress put the cost at $210 million: $72 million for about 5,900 active-duty troops through December 15, and $138 million for 2,100 Guard troops 2.
The attention. By Grabien's count, Fox News said "caravan" 1,202 times from October 30 to November 5, the week before the election, and 203 times from November 7 to 13, the week after — a drop of 83 percent; CNN went from 834 to 75, MSNBC from 586 to 110 3. The people themselves were in Tijuana by mid-November, with about 100 asylum claims processed a day and more than 3,000 names on the wait list 4. The emergency ended on Election Day. The caravan was still there.
Sources
- 5,200 troops for "Operation Faithful Patriot" — NBC News, 29 October 2018 ↑
- $210 million total: $72 million for about 5,900 active-duty troops through 15 December and $138 million for 2,100 Guard troops, per the Pentagon's report to Congress — 10News, November 2018 ↑
- Fox News said "caravan" 1,202 times the week before the election and 203 times the week after, an 83 percent drop; CNN 834 to 75; MSNBC 586 to 110 — TheWrap via Yahoo News, citing Grabien, 14 November 2018 ↑
- About 100 asylum claims processed a day at San Ysidro; more than 3,000 names on the wait list — CBS News, 16 November 2018 ↑
Republican
THE CARAVAN
The alarm, in his words. October 22, 2018: "Sadly, it looks like Mexico's Police and Military are unable to stop the Caravan heading to the Southern Border of the United States. Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!" 1. October 29: "This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!" 2.
The caravan was real, and it was large. The United Nations counted about 7,200 people as of October 22; Mexico's government said about 3,630 two days later; the AP estimated 4,000 to 5,000 on October 28 3. Several thousand people walking north toward the border is a genuine event for the agencies that meet them, and a president who calls attention to it is describing something that existed. What happened to the attention is on the other side.
Sources
- "Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in. I have alerted Border Patrol and Military that this is a National Emergy. Must change laws!" — tweet, 22 October 2018 — Newsweek ↑
- "This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!" — tweet, 29 October 2018 — Roll Call ↑
- About 7,200 people per the UN (22 October); about 3,630 per Mexico's government (24 October); 4,000 to 5,000 per the AP (28 October) — PolitiFact, 29 October 2018 ↑
“My granddaughter asked me what the scariest costume was, and I said, well, in 2018 it was a caravan. October 22nd: "a National Emergy," with the typo. October 29th: "This is an invasion of our Country and our Military is waiting for you!" Fifty-two hundred troops sent the same day. Then I found a count of how often one network said the word: twelve hundred two times the week before the election. Two hundred three the week after. And the people in it were at the border in Tijuana, about a hundred asylum claims a day, three thousand names on a list. Sorry, the kids are at the door. If it was an emergency on November 5th, where was it on the 13th?”— Lou
“Halloween's the right day for this one. October 2018, a week before the midterms: the caravan. "Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in." Fifty-two hundred troops, two hundred ten million dollars. Fox said the word twelve hundred and two times the week before the election. The week after: two hundred three. Eighty-three percent of the monster went home the minute the polls closed. It's four days to another midterm. Check the closet.”
“Coverage of the caravan declined after the election because the caravan had been successfully deterred by the coverage, which is the most cost-effective border security ever devised.”