Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) addressed the serious threat the massive caravan moving through Central America poses to the United States during an interview on Monday, calling it an “invasion.”
Gohmert’s appearance on Fox News comes as thousands of migrants, many of whom are young men, are waving foreign flags while marching through Central America with the intent of illegally entering the United States.
“We have got to have the DOJ investigate where the funding is coming from to send these thousands and thousands of people to the U.S. because you could use RICO [laws] to go after them,” Gohmert said.
“There is money coming in,” Gohmert added. “I’m sure there is some coming from the United States going to help this caravan along. It is building of its own momentum and it will take a very strong president, which we have, to stop it and we’ve got to make clear to Mexico they are not coming in.”
Gohmert noted that it is not possible to manage all of the people that are attempting to enter the U.S. in the caravan, saying, “All of these people trying to force their way in — it’s called an invasion and thank God we have a president that will stand up to an invasion like this.”
Gohmert also called on President Donald Trump to “close the border until this threat is over.”
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Gohmert’s comments come after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made the following statement over the weekend:
The United States is closely following the migrant caravan, in which thousands of migrants from Honduras and other countries continue to make a dangerous journey through Guatemala and into Mexico. Many migrants are attempting to transit these countries and in the process are violating their sovereignty, their laws, and their procedures. As President Trump has stated, consistent with U.S. law, the United States will not allow illegal immigrants to enter or remain in the United States.
We are concerned that these migrants may be victimized by human smugglers or others who would exploit them. We also are deeply concerned by the violence provoked by some members of the group, as well as the apparent political motivation of some organizers of the caravan.
We understand Mexico will detain and repatriate migrants who enter Mexico in violation of Mexican law, and in instances where migrants apply for asylum, process the requests in accordance with Mexican law. We also understand that those who do not qualify will be returned in a safe and orderly process, consistent with Mexican law.
We welcome the Government of Mexico’s collaboration with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to address refugee and migration issues in the region, including the influx of people arriving in Mexico. The United States stands ready to assist the Government of Mexico in this effort.