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GOP Congressman Chuck Edwards Posts About Biden with Trump-era Migrant Caravan Photo

The picture of the migrant caravan that was posted by Edwards was originally taken on Oct. 27, 2018, in Arriaga, Mexico.

Published Feb. 14, 2024

Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the U.S. from Arriaga in southern Mexico on Oct. 27, 2018. (Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images) (GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Honduran migrants heading in a caravan to the U.S. from Arriaga in southern Mexico on Oct. 27, 2018. (Photo by GUILLERMO ARIAS/AFP via Getty Images)

On Feb. 13, 2024, Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards posted (archived) a photo on X that appeared to show a migrant caravan heading north toward the U.S.-Mexico border. A sticker-like image of U.S. President Joe Biden — the same kind of sticker some readers may have seen before on gas pumps as a jab about high fuel prices — was added on top of the picture with the words "I did that!"

Republican US Rep Chuck Edwards of North Carolina posted a picture of a migrant caravan that was taken in 2018 and not during President Joe Biden's administration.

However, the post soon received a clarifying Community Note that said the photo of the migrant caravan was from 2018. In other words, the picture was shot when former U.S. President Donald Trump was in the White House.

The original photo caption from The Associated Press read as follows:

In this Oct. 27, 2018 photo, members of a U.S.-bound migrant caravan stand on a road after federal police briefly blocked their way outside the town of Arriaga. Hundreds of Mexican federal officers carrying plastic shields had blocked the caravan from advancing toward the United States, after several thousand of the migrants turned down the chance to apply for refugee status and obtain a Mexican offer of benefits. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Snopes contacted a spokesperson for Edwards by email to ask about this matter and will update our story if we receive a response.

In a reply to Edwards, one user posted (archived), "This is a photo from 2018 when Donald Trump was president."

Edwards responded (archived) with a different picture that was taken in late December 2023, in the second half of Biden's term in office.

"Satisfied?" Edwards asked.

Republican US Rep Chuck Edwards of North Carolina posted a picture of a migrant caravan that was taken in 2018 and not during President Joe Biden's administration.

Aside from the somewhat misleading nature of Edwards' post, illegal immigration numbers of border encounters have been much higher under Biden than when Trump was in office, according to statistics found on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website, as Snopes previously reported.

Sources

Abd, Rodrigo. "The Week That Was in Latin America Photo Gallery." APImages.com, AP Images, 27 Oct. 2018, https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=019356ab3fdd49dd835518cdad0828f6&mediatype=photo.

Scripps News Staff. "Large Migrant Caravan Heading to US Ahead of Blinken's Mexico Visit." Scripps News, 26 Dec. 2023, https://scrippsnews.com/stories/large-migrant-caravan-heading-to-us-ahead-of-blinken-s-mexico-visit/.

Jordan Liles is a Senior Reporter who has been with Snopes since 2016.