A Texas Republican suggested Monday that the Trump administration should use the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, known as RICO, to investigate who might be funding a caravan of 7,000 Central American migrants traveling to the United States’ southern border.
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said Attorney General Jeff Sessions should instruct the Justice Department to look into who is paying people to walk from Honduras north through Guatemala and Mexico.
“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.,” Gohmert told Fox News Monday morning. “You can use RICO to go after them.”
The federal government has made no indication that the caravan is receiving outside money, but Gohmert insisted the up to 7,000 people fleeing violence and economic peril in Northern Triangle nations are being helped by an outside financial contribution.
Gohmert, whose district is in northeastern Texas, suggested “perhaps” Democratic billionaire George Soros was behind the group.
He declared the caravan, which recently crossed into Mexico from Guatemala, was an “invasion.” On foot, the trek from Mexico’s southern border to Southeast Texas will take around one month to complete, according to previous statements from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
Gohmert said in that time, the U.S. should shut down its entire southern border. He did not specify if trade would continue to flowing into the country from Mexico.
On an average day, CBP processes $6.5 billion worth of imported goods and collects $120 million in duties, taxes, and other fees, according to data from fiscal 2017.
