With the consequential midterm elections looming, immigration is sure to be a hot bed issue. One could argue it will be more contentious this election, especially considering the massive caravan of migrants working their way to the United States border.

President Trump, infamous for his disdain of Hispanic/Latinx immigrants, has predictably turned the event into a campaign issue. The travelling caravan has provided a perfect visual and sound board for an all too familiar fear campaign by the GOP.  The tension is too thick to ignore even in today’s political climate. Add into the mix, Trump using the migrants as a political boogeyman and it makes for election season political drama.

But despite the fear mongering, the migrants are unfazed. Even Trump’s hatred of them can’t deter the group. The hardships they are escaping in their pursuit of asylum supersedes the political sparring. When you examine the fear the GOP has injected into its base, you come to realize it’s unfounded. No data supports any of the administration’s claim about the migrants. The outlandish claim about “Unknown Middle Easterners” (see Muslims) being among the crowd is unfounded.

You have to wonder what drives the fear of their base since it isn’t facts.Take another Trump cliche: crime. The facts don’t back up his claim about Hispanic/Latinx immigrants. Undocumented immigrants are actually less likely to commit crimes. With this midterm election season in full swing, only time will tell if their fear campaign is successful. One question remains: How did a nation of immigrants become a nation that hates immigrants?