For the past few days, the mainstream media has been on a crusade of feigned moral outrage against President Trump and his supposed policy of separating illegal immigrants who are caught crossing the border from their children. Over the course of this crusade, there has been no shortage of half-truths and outright lies that the media has put forth in their never-ending attempt to paint Trump as a racist monster.
It’s important, though, to sift through some of these lies to gain a better understanding of what is really taking place at the border and President Trump’s true role in it all. Below, we’ll cover some of the top lies espoused by the media on this issue and expose them for what they really are.
Lie #1: Trump is the one who Created the Policy of Separating Children from Illegal Immigrant Parents
To hear those in the media tell it, the policy of separating children from parents who are caught crossing the border illegally is one of Trump’s own making and one that he could do away with in a single stroke of the pen.
However, this is patently false. In 1997, the federal government agreed that they would not keep unaccompanied illegal immigrant children in custody beyond 20 days. This decision, however, said nothing of children who were accompanied by their parents, so the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals later ruled that children who are accompanied by their parents could also not be held for longer than 20 days.
This means that the only option immigration enforcement officials have when detaining a family caught crossing the border illegally is to release the entire family or just release the children, thus separating them from their parents.
Since we are a nation of laws, releasing the entire family every time they cross the border is not a viable option, and the situation is not one that Trump can easily fix with a stroke of the pen.
Lie #2: The Holding Facilities for Illegal Immigrants are Awful Thanks to Trump
There’s no denying that the crowded conditions at the holding facilities for illegal immigrants who have been detained are discomforting. However, this is no fault of President Trump, as the holding facilities are the same ones that were used under the Obama administration.
Following the media’s outrage of the conditions at the facilities and their attempt to blame it on President Trump, Breitbart released a series of photos of the same facilities in 2014 under Obama, showing that their poor, overcrowded conditions have not changed at all under President Trump.
While the conditions at these holding facilities is something that should be addressed, it’s a shame that the media chose to wait until Trump was President before they pretended to be outraged about them.
Lie #3: Immigrants Seeking Asylum are Being Punished
Another lie parroted countless times throughout the media over the past few days is that Trump is having immigrants who are seeking asylum detained and arrested. This, however, is entirely untrue.
Immigrants who come to points of entry seeking asylum are not arrested or detained as they are not entering the country illegally. Rather, they are processed through ICE just like immigrants who seek asylum always have been. Only immigrants who cross the border illegally and are caught risk being detained and having their children separated from them.
The only change in policy whatsoever is that illegal immigrants are now being treated and processed as criminals rather than being allowed to enter the country without any consequence. Again, while unfortunate, this approach is absolutely necessary in a nation of laws that is struggling with an illegal immigration crisis.
Conclusion
Pictures of crowded holding facilities and crying children make great cannon fodder for a media that is determined to bring down President Trump by whatever means necessary. However, the truth surrounding the issue is not nearly as black and white as the media would have you to believe.
Keep in mind that it is the President’s job to enforce the laws of the United States, not to make them. If Democrats and those in the media want a fix to this problem, they’ll be much better off pointing their anger at Congress rather than faking outrage and spreading lies about a President whose hands are tied on the issue.
~ American Liberty Report
