The Ridiculous Conspiracy Theories People Fell For In 2016

Mexican Refugees Are Murderers & Rapists

Donald Trump publicly stated that Mexico was sending criminals, specifically “murderers and rapists.” When questioned, Trump’s team pointed to data that doesn’t actually exist. According to the Washington Post, the data that does exist actually suggests the opposite.

Deputy director of the U.S. Immigration Policy Program at the Migration Policy Institute (a non-partisan think tank) said, “Immigrants in general — unauthorized immigrants in particular — are a self-selected group who generally come to the U.S. to work. And once they’re here, most of them want to keep their nose down and do their business, and they’re sensitive to the fact that they’re vulnerable.” In a current world where racial tensions are at a high, spreading harmful rumors about a race or ethnicity is certainly a dangerous one! Let’s hope no one gets hurt over this rumor.