FACT CHECK: Does This Image Show Migrants In A Holding Facility During The Biden Administration?

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on Facebook claims to show migrants in a holding facility in 2021 during President Joe Biden’s tenure.

Verdict: False

The image showing migrant children in holding facilities dates back to 2014, years before Biden took office.

Fact Check:

The US-Mexico border is currently experiencing a surge of migrants, including over 16,000 unaccompanied minors currently in U.S. custody, CBS News reported.

An image on Facebook features dozens of people packed tightly together, with the text “Breitbart Texas Release” overlaying it. One Facebook user who shared the image alleged it shows “BIDENS DETENTION CENTER!”

Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the image is actually from 2014. The image was featured in a June 2014 Breitbart Texas article bearing the headline “Leaked Images Reveal Children Warehoused in Crowded U.S. Cells, Border Patrol Overwhelmed.” Breitbart described the picture as one of many “internal federal government photos” obtained by the outlet that year.

“The photos illuminate the conditions of the U.S. Border Patrol’s processing centers, as well as the overwhelming task Border Patrol is facing,” the Breitbart article states. (RELATED: Does This Photo Show Migrant Children ‘In Cages In America’?)

The picture was also used in a March 22 Breitbart News article about unaccompanied children currently in holding centers at the border, but the Facebook user leaves out the fact that this particular photo is from nearly seven years ago, well before Biden was sworn in as president. The March 22 article references the outlet’s 2014 article and includes the years-old photo, which may have led to some social media users’ confusion.

In March 2021, Axios published images of migrants in a U.S. Customs and Border Protection temporary holding facility in Texas. Those images, provided by Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, show most of the people pictured wearing face masks.

The image in the Facebook post does not appear to show anyone wearing face masks, adding to the dubiousness of the claim that it was taken during the Biden administration.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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