What caused the border crisis? The truth behind Trump’s misleading spin | The Fact Checker

Critics have not been shy about denouncing conditions for children at the U.S. Border Patrol stations at the U.S.-Mexico border. But President Trump says his administration is doing a better job than Obama’s. So, are conditions better than they were under Obama? How did we arrive at this crisis in the first place?

Overcrowding and lengthy stays in Border Patrol stations happened under President Obama in 2014 when an unprecedented influx of unaccompanied migrant children flooded the southern border. The Obama administration faced criticism for its initial response but corrected course by directing FEMA to coordinate aid efforts, opening up temporary shelters and creating safeguards to prevent this from happening in the future.

This fiscal year, Border Patrol has apprehended almost 73,000 unaccompanied children since October of 2018. And HHS said it is on track to care for the largest number of unaccompanied minors in the program’s history. The number of migrants and a backlog in the system caused overcrowding and poor conditions at Border Patrol stations.

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[south]

There is a difference between legal and illegal immigration.

[the_acheelies]

Washington post reporting is terrible.

[snappyturtle]

Are the children fed? Do they have a roof over their heads? Enter legally and these "border concerns" will vaporize.

[catalinacurio]

Thank you for covering this! We must Never forget these suffering children. 😢

[yoyoglock]

Umm..we SHOULD deter people from crossing the border illegally! Coming over illegally is a slap in the face to those who follow the laws and wait their turn.

[TapurokNatureFarm]

Can you post an update on Biden admin?

[TinkerTailorSoldier]

Enter the country *LEGALLY* and you won’t have to deal with any of this.

[franciscomunoz]

If you only pandered more, stoked more, incited more, distorted facts more, you'd get thousands more views as Murdoch's Tabloid Fox does. Thank you for your professionalism.

[shadowfox]

Yea so basically more people were detained in 2019 than any other year. So it is indeed worse than Obama or any other president before Trump. The issue we should ask is why? What caused the sudden surge of immigrants? What fraction of them are genuinely assylum seekers? Due to the sheer numbers, these holding facilities did not have adequate resources to sort this out. They weren't prepared. I don't think it was malicious intent. There's a vetting process they have to go through and that process takes time. What they needed were more resources, more officers, and people to help. It's easy to blame others, but one should think of solutions to solve the problem rather than just repeatedly pointing it out. It's a given that people who cross the border illegally instead of going through the port of entry will have further scrutiny and procedures before they can be legalized.

[jaimereyna]

waiting for Biden’s version of this video.

[patrickweigand]

Everytime Kenny J watches videos like these somebody has to explain to him what happened💩

[anitaromero]

Give me your tired, your poor, your huddle masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuge of your teeming shore, send these homeless, tempest tossed to me: I lift my lamp beside the gold door.🗽

[lunkis]

Sick!! 😠 WHAT kind of sick freak thinks this is ok 😠 😠

[universalsoldier]

Hey, I feel for these border crossers, but can I get some decent health care first?

[unknow]

Just tell me one reason Washington post hates trump

[jeremiasrobinson]

These facts won't stop Trump's trolls from blaming Obama for EVEYTHING.

[koenarmstrong]

Damn you people are still gonna praises trump? Grow up and open your eyes

[mercedesholmes]

It doesn't matter how "nice" the prison cages are, or where the children are confined. Separating children from family members and/or holding them in confinement for extended periods of time is immoral and indefensible. Calling it a shelter instead of a detention center is just gilding the prison bars. It does nothing to lessen the suffering of these children and it does not absolve those responsible of guilt.


Anyone with children can remember the trauma of the first day of pre-school or kindergarten. The terror in their eyes and the panicked pleading and soul-shattering sobbing as they cling to you begging you not to leave them alone, the gut wrenching guilt in the pit of your stomach that you carry with you for the rest of the day as you stare at the clock and question and berate yourself mercilessly for not finding another way to pay the bills that didn't require you to traumatize your child.


That is what I think about when I see the footage of these mother's and children being physically separated from one another. I know how unbearable the guilt, anxiety, and pain felt on the first day of school and I had the benefit of knowing that I would be "rescuing" my child in 6 hours AND that I could technically "rescue" my child that very moment and no one would stop me. I chose the school, I knew what the teacher had planned for the day and I knew my child would have a good time and that she was in safe hands.


The anguish experienced by these mothers and their children is magnitudes beyond what I could bear. There is no chance that mother and child will ever be the same again. Separating a young child from their mother is a guarantee of serious mental health issues

[doctorpanigrahi]

I voted for Trump because Hillary was a woman.

[valterek]

American crisis - the whole country! Americans, save your contry, your republic, your constitution! Remove Trump from Office.