WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on the Trump administration’s response to a migrant caravan (all times local):
4:55 p.m.
President Donald Trump is acknowledging there’s “no proof” that Middle Easterners are mixed in with the Central American migrants moving in a caravan toward the U.S. southern border.
Asked for evidence of his claim during a bill signing Tuesday, Trump says, “There’s no proof of anything.” But he says “they could very well be” in the caravan.
Trump had claimed in a tweet Monday that “Criminals and unknown Middle Easterners” were mixed in with the migrants fleeing violence or poverty.
He told reporters Tuesday that the U.S. Border Patrol has “intercepted many people from the Middle East” over the course of the year.
Associated Press journalists who have traveled with the migrant caravan for more than a week have seen no evidence of Trump’s claims.
___
4:35 p.m.
Trump administration officials say they are still evaluating what to do if a migrant caravan arrives at the U.S. southern border. That’s despite threats by the president to declare a national emergency or rescind aid from the countries whose people are journeying north.
President Donald Trump’s Twitter feed reveals bits and pieces of potential outcomes being discussed regularly by top immigration officials and his close advisers in closed-door meetings.
Several administration officials told The Associated Press those meetings have gotten increasingly heated in the past week, including one that turned into a shouting match.
They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the topic.
The caravan comes on the heels of a surge in apprehensions of families at the border, rankling Trump.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.