Donald Trump thinks undocumented immigrants are pouring over the border to steal the election

With conservative hurricane truthers giving new cover for conspiracy theorists of all stripes to run wild, Donald Trump on Friday floated the idea that border officials are allowing immigrants to cross into the U.S. illegally so they can vote.

“They are letting people pour into this country so they can go and vote,” Trump said during an exchange with Art Del Cueto, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, according to a press pool report from The Wall Street Journal‘s Reid Epstein.

That remark came after Del Cueto said agents have been instructed not to deport undocumented immigrants with criminal records. When Trump asked why that was, Del Cueto replied, “So they can vote.”

Trump has for months been laying the groundwork to decry the results of the election as illegitimate. In August, he said of course the election would be “rigged,” telling attendees at a rally, “People are going to walk in and they’re going to vote 10 times, maybe, who knows?”