Did the migrant caravan demand $50,000 for each member?

It’s true that members of migrant caravans seeking entry into the United States have requested that the United States let them into the country or pay them $50,000 each.

"Migrants DEMAND $50,000 each to go home, or else…," said the Dec. 12 headline of an opinion post on thefederalistpapers.org.

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

Thefederalistpapers.org quotes a Fox News report, which in turn cites the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that on Dec. 11 two groups of Central American migrants separately marched to the U.S. consulate in Tijuana, "demanding that they be processed through the asylum system more quickly and in greater numbers, that deportations be halted and that President Trump either let them into the country or pay them $50,000 each to go home."

The newspaper said that the group with the request for payment or admission amounted to about 100 people. Another group of about 50 people asked that the United States speed up and increase the processing of asylum seekers.

Both groups had a letter with them and reported to have been received by U.S. consulate staff, but they were unaware of each others' demands, the San Diego Union-Tribune said. The consulate on Dec. 11 posted on its website an alert about a march expected that day at the consulate. PolitiFact reached out to the consulate to confirm details about the letter but did not get a response.

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The letter regarding the $50,000 request was addressed to Trump and extends a greeting on behalf of all caravan members, and expresses grievances in Honduras.

"If you needed any more proof that the migrant caravans at our Southern border are NOT what they appear to be, now these invaders are making a new demand," said the post on thefederalistpapers.org. "Now these ‘migrants’ are saying ‘give us $50,000 each to return home, or else we’ll bust down your border’."

Steve Straub, the website’s director, told PolitiFact that its website is one of opinion, not a news site, that its story was clearly labeled "opinion," and that it did not claim that all migrants are demanding $50,000.

"We take pride in the fact that the content of our articles is fact based and we only use mainstream or other legitimate sources as the basis for our story," Straub said.

At some point, some estimates said there were as many as 8,000 people in caravans from Central America walking to the U.S.-Mexico border to seek entry into the United States. About 6,000 arrived in Tijuana in November, but the number of people still seeking to be let into the United States is believed to be much lower. Hundreds have gone back to their countries, hundreds more have being deported by Mexican authorities, and many more have applied for permission to stay in Mexico, according to news reports.

Our ruling

A headline on thefederalistpapers.org says, "Migrants DEMAND $50,000 each to go home, or else…"

A group of about 100 migrants went to the U.S. consulate in Tijuana requesting to be let into the United States or be paid $50,000 each, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The letter is addressed to Trump and offers a greeting on behalf all caravan members. Another group that had a separate letter for the consulate about asylum processing said it was unaware of the other group’s demands. So it’s possible that not all migrants were aware of and making that demand.

The post is accurate but needs clarification or additional information. We rate it Mostly True.

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