A photo shared on Twitter claims to show an image of tents set up in New York City to treat children kept in underground captivity. 

New York City
Central Park

Tents were set up to treat the babies and children that were underground in cages.
Pipes were placed inside tunnels for fresh air.
“A few and passed away from seeing the sun for the first time.”
Quote from a nurse who was there pic.twitter.com/3ippNrO3uo

— THiS LiL’ MiSS KN0WS iT ALL (@l42022425) June 4, 2023

Verdict: False

The image is miscaptioned. A spokesperson for Christian humanitarian organization Samaritan’s Purse told Check Your Fact that the image shows volunteers treating adult COVID-19 patients only.

Fact Check: 

New York City faced poor air quality this week due to smoke from Canadian wildfires billowing over the border, NBC News reported. The city’s air pollution was ranked worse than any other city in the world with an AQI of 342, considered “hazardous for all residents,” according to CNBC.

The Twitter post claims children who were held in cages underground were being treated in tents. The photo appears to show white tents with people gathered around.

“Tents were set up to treat the babies and children that were underground in cages,” the post reads. “Pipes were placed inside tunnels for fresh air.”

The image is miscaptioned, however, and has nothing to do with children in underground cages. The photo was captured by AFP photographer Bryan R. Smith.

“Volunteers from the International Christian relief organization Samaritan’s Purse set up an Emergency Field Hospital for patients suffering from the coronavirus in Central Park across Fifth Avenue from Mt. Sinai Hospital on March 30, 2020 in New York,” the AFP caption reads. (RELATED: Is The NYC Subway Making Posters Featuring Jordan Neely And Daniel Penny)

“This information is not correct. Samaritan’s Purse set up an Emergency Field Hospital in Central Park to treat COVID patients as the number of cases in New York City overwhelmed the local healthcare system,” a spokesperson for Samaritan’s Purse told Check Your Fact in an email.

“We partnered with Mount Sinai Hospital and exclusively treated adult patients with COVID. We did not treat any children, including the population you mention below,” the spokesperson continued.