Republicans say terrorists are crossing the border. There’s no proof that’s true.

On the heels of President Joe Biden signing a $1.9 trillion Covid-19 reduction invoice that’s extremely popular with the American public, if not with GOP members of Congress, Republicans have developed a brand new line of assault: that the president is just not solely turning a blind eye to a disaster on the US-Mexico border created by his efforts to roll again Donald Trump’s draconian immigration insurance policies, however that Biden is ignoring a attainable terror risk.

To hammer this house, a bunch of Home Republicans led by Home Minority Chief Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) traveled to the southern border on Monday and held a press occasion the place McCarthy made a scary declare.

Citing a dialog he had with Border Patrol brokers, McCarthy stated current migrants are “not simply individuals from Mexico or Honduras or El Salvador. They’re now discovering individuals from Yemen, Iran, Turkey. Folks on the terrorist watch record they’re catching, and so they’re speeding in .”

McCarthy’s making an attempt to get individuals to consider that Biden is asleep on the wheel as terrorists infiltrate the nation.

There’s only one downside. There’s no proof it’s true.

Later Tuesday, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), chair of the Home committee on intelligence and particular operations, tweeted in response to McCarthy’s feedback, “Bizarre because the Chairman of the subcommittee on Intelligence and Particular Operations and a border state member of Congress haven’t heard something about this. Gonna ask for a briefing. Fairly certain he’s both incorrect or mendacity.”

Gallego went on to name McCarthy’s bluff by asking him to carry a categorized briefing the place he might share his details about terrorists crossing the border.

“Hello @GOPLeader I’ve the identical safety clearance as you do,” Gallego wrote. “Can you may have your workplace organize for a categorized briefing for members to see the place this information derived from?”

US Customs and Border Safety (CBP) didn’t instantly reply to an e-mail from Vox searching for touch upon what proof, if any, exists for McCarthy’s declare. However he wasn’t the one Republican making it. On Tuesday morning, one other Republican who went to the border, Rep. John Katko (R-NY), went on Fox Information and unfold the identical rumor and innuendo.

“He [a border agent] stated, ‘a few of them are on the record,’” Katko stated. “And I stated, ‘record?’ And he stated, ‘yeah, the fear watch record.’ And I used to be surprised.”

“They stated they’ve seized not simply individuals from Central and South America, however even individuals from Yemen and locations within the Center East which can be terrorist hotbeds,” he continued.

Unsurprisingly, Fox Information anchors didn’t press Katko for any data on who the border agent with this intelligence is, or for any proof to again up his speaking level, which has been a significant one on Fox Information because the border press occasion. If previous is precedent, proof could not exist, as a result of Republicans have an extended historical past of spreading misinformation about terrorists crossing the border.

Republicans are reviving one among Trump’s most infamous lies

Whereas he was in workplace, Trump used fact-free claims about terrorists making an attempt to cross the southern border to sensationalize the dangers offered by immigration insurance policies that fell in need of sealing it off with a spike-topped wall.

In January 2019, as an example, Trump posted a rapidly debunked tweet alleging individuals from Muslim-majority international locations are crossing the border with unhealthy intentions, and leaving prayer rugs behind. (The prayer-rug-at-the-border fable dates again to no less than 2014, when it first appeared on Breitbart.)

“Border rancher: ‘We’ve discovered prayer rugs out right here. It’s unreal,’” Trump tweeted, citing a Washington Examiner article that offered no proof for its central declare past a single nameless account.

As not too long ago as this January, Trump claimed “we’ve terrorists from the Center East coming into our nation by the southern border.”

Not solely is there no proof of this, however Trump’s personal State Division debunked it. From the Washington Submit:

In stories issued throughout the Trump administration, the State Division stated that there was “no credible proof indicating that worldwide terrorist teams have established bases in Mexico, labored with Mexican drug cartels, or despatched operatives by way of Mexico into the US” and that “there have been no circumstances of terrorist teams exploiting these gaps to maneuver operations by the area.”

The factor is, there’s an actual downside on the southern border that Republicans might message on. However that they will’t assist however sensationalize it signifies they’re solely actually all for scoring low-cost political factors.

There’s an actual downside on the border, however Republicans aren’t participating in good religion

Trump’s baseless January 2019 tweet about prayer rugs got here amid the federal government shutdown he instigated as a part of a failed effort to strongarm Congress into funding his border wall. Now, 26 months later, Republicans are actually utilizing an analogous mislead assault Biden, who has argued for treating undocumented immigrants and asylum-seekers with extra humanity than Trump did.

That’s to not say that Biden’s dealing with of the scenario on the southern border is above reproach. As my colleague Nicole Narea detailed Monday, the variety of kids at the moment being detained at CBP short-term holding amenities is at a report excessive, and they’re being held longer than the legislation permits for. CBS Information has reported the kids are being stored in overcrowded, “jail-like stations unfit to deal with minors.”

The Biden administration has ordered FEMA to the border to assist officers handle undocumented minors, however has been struggling to develop immigration insurance policies that stability humanitarian considerations with the fact that the federal government has restricted sources to take care of the stream of those who has been steadily arriving on the southern border for years now. The scenario seems as if it should solely get tougher: Tuesday, Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated, “We’re on tempo to come across extra people on the southwest border than we’ve within the final 20 years.”

Even Democrats like Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose Texas district is on the border, say Biden must do extra to ascertain management.

“The Republicans will flip round and use this for a political weapon in opposition to Democrats — that we’re weak on the border, we’re not doing sufficient, we’re letting everyone in,” Cuellar advised the Washington Submit. “I’ve been warning the social gathering and the administration: Don’t let this get out of hand, as a result of all you’re going to do is you’re going to provide Republicans a difficulty.”

This disaster is just not a brand new one, and there are not any easy, ready-made options. However as a substitute of participating with that actuality soberly and constructively, Republicans like McCarthy look like mendacity — and getting assist from uncritical Fox Information protection to attempt to terrify voters into turning on Biden.