Migrant ‘caravan’ pays respects to its dead, as Trump builds support with populist rants

MEMBERS of a migrant “caravan” heading north through Mexico paused yesterday to pay their respects to two of their fellow travellers who have died en route, as hundreds turned back from the perilous journey to the US border.

Mike Pence, the US vice-president, yesterday reiterated President Donald Trump’s unproven claim that there were “unknown Middle Easterners” among the 7,000 migrants.

“It’s inconceivable that there are not people of Middle Eastern descent in a crowd of more than 7,000 people advancing toward our border,” he said.

“In the last fiscal year, we have apprehended more than 10 terrorists or suspected terrorists per day at our southern border.”

In the year to Sept 30, over 300,000 people were detained at the Us-mexico border, of whom 0.02 per cent – 61 people – were from countries in the Middle East. None of the reporters following the caravan has met anyone of Middle Eastern descent.

Yet the claims are being frequently repeated on Fox News, as Mr Trump and his supporters watch his ratings rise with his repeated rants against the caravan.

On Monday night, Mr Trump called the caravan an “assault on our country” and suggested, without citing evidence, that “Democrats had something to do with it”. He added: “We need a wall built fast.”

The government of Honduras, from where the caravan set out on Oct 13, announced on Monday that 300 people had decided to turn back.

The country’s official Twitter stream showed images of exhausted-looking migrants on drips, being tended to by Red Cross personnel, or boarding buses to head home.

Ana Garcia de Hernandez, the first lady of Honduras, published a video begging her fellow citizens not to carry on their dangerous path.

Two Hondurans have died so far, both falling off trucks – one on Saturday, and one on Monday. Yesterday’s pause was to commemorate them.

Today organisers plan to continue, heading north along the coast to the town of Mapastepec, 38 miles away.