Trump's 'invasion' slur against immigrants isn't just racist. It's false

Remember the “caravan?” That train of impoverished immigrants trudging up through Central America, supposedly to “invade” our southern border? This was the endlessly hyped, incendiary story repeated over and over on Fox News in the weeks leading up to the 2018 elections. Amazingly, the story all but vanished into thin air after Republicans were effectively blown out by voters that November. After that, suddenly no one at Fox News seemed to care much about the caravan.

The caravan hype owed itself directly to Donald Trump, who has continually promoted this “invasion” rhetoric toward immigrants since 2015.

Here he was again, speaking to the press five days before the 2018 election:

At this very moment, large, well-organized caravans of migrants are marching towards our southern border. Some people call it an “invasion.” It’s like an invasion.

As the 2024 election approaches, the word “invasion” has become acceptable usage among Trump’s sycophants and Republican imitators. As reported by Jazmine Ulloa, writing for The New York Times, “The word invasion has appeared in 27 television ads for Republican candidates—accounting for more than $5 million in ad spending—ahead of the November 2024 election, according to early April data from AdImpact.”

Immigration is the one issue that Republicans intend to fixate on because they have nothing else to talk about, certainly nothing they’ve achieved themselves. In fact, Republicans—again following Donald Trump’s command—deliberately prevented the Biden administration from drastically increasing protection of the U.S.-Mexican border by blocking passage of comprehensive immigration legislation they themselves had co-authored, simply so Trump could use the issue against President Biden in 2024. That bill literally provided billions in funding for border security and protection. So while they clearly believe immigration is a helpful issue for inflaming their base, it’s equally clear that Republicans don’t consider it serious enough to actually do something about.

There’s no argument that the number of undocumented immigrants crossing the U.S. border has increased since President Biden took office. The number of people turned away by the Biden administration has also reached record levels, but (to be fair) that is a function of the overall numbers. Earlier this month the administration took unilateral action that would deny the right of asylum to those who crossed the border unlawfully. The Biden administration clearly recognizes that controlling the influx of immigrants in this country is an important concern.

However, it is not an “invasion.” Calling it an invasion is not simply dehumanizing to the people who arrive at our border with Mexico. It is intended to suggest that some terrible harm will come to Americans because of an increase in immigrants. But there is simply no evidence of that. In fact, most of the data suggests the exact opposite.