Nashville, TN—At the last presidential election debate Thursday night, President Trump said that hundreds of children locked in cages at the border were not brought here by their parents but by coyotes.

“The United States can’t locate the parents of more than 500 children. So how will these families ever be reunited?” debate moderator Kristen Welker asked.

“Well, if you look at it,” Trump said, “it’s not parents bringing them over. It’s coyotes, it’s dingoes, it’s gila monsters bringing the children over. Terrible creatures.”

A dubious Twitter erupted with questions. “How could coyotes carry whole humans over the border?” one maroon asked. “I mean, separate parts, I can understand, but not whole humans.”

“Does he mean Wylie Coyote? I didn’t know cartoons could cross literal borders,” someone who is clearly really witty tweeted.

RAICES Texas, which works with migrant families denied Trump’s claims, saying they’ve only seen coyotes bring over two babies this year.

“Mostly coyotes tend to bring over trash and animal carcasses,” U.S. Forest Service director Smokey Bear said. “One time, a coyote brought over a Pueblo village, but that was a rarity.”

About Author