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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on April 10, 2021 in a Facebook post: \"Kids in cages\" in border facilities are \"at 700% capacity.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" half-true/6479cbc723379f0ee49c269b0b9790b7.jpg.\\") ![\\"half- true\\"](\\" true.jpg\\") * Immigration * Facebook Fact-checks * Facebook posts ![\\"Newly](\\" Newly arrived migrant children inside a temporary federal facility for unaccompanied minors in Donna, Texas, on March 30, 2021. (AP ![\\"Tom](\\" By Tom Kertscher April 15, 2021 # Fact-checking whether ‘kids in cages’ border facility is at 700% capacity #### If Your Time is short * News reports in March said a tent complex in Texas, a temporary U.S. border facility holding minors who cross the Mexico border, was at 700% or more of its capacity. Children sleep in see-through plastic pods. * The minors arrived unaccompanied and are being housed because of the Biden administration’s policy not to return them to Mexico. * The Trump administration was criticized for \"kids in cages\" — using chain-link enclosures to temporarily house children — because of its practice, from April to June of 2018, of separating children from their parents at the border. See the sources for this fact-check After the Trump administration in 2018 began separating children from their parents at the Mexico border and housing the children temporarily in chain- link enclosures, Democrats used \"kids in cages,\" a term the Trump administration rejected, to attack Trump. Now, amid record-breaking numbers of child migrants crossing the border, critics of President Joe Biden are crying foul. Stated one post circulating on Facebook: \"Don’t hear y’all complaining about kids in cages now they’re at 700% capacity. Funny. Almost like you don’t care when it’s Biden.\" The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.) News organizations including CNN and CBS reported in March that a temporary border processing facility holding migrant children in Donna, Texas, was at 700% or more of capacity. It’s a tent complex, essentially a building with soft walls, where children sleep in see-through plastic pods. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" ![](\\" Kari Lake stated on July 16, 2024 in in a speech at RNC in Milwaukee “Just last week, Ruben Gallego voted to let the millions of people who poured into our country illegally cast a ballot in this upcoming election.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Amy Sherman • July 17, 2024 At the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the Trump administration implemented a policy that immediately expelled all people crossing the border, including children who arrived alone. The Biden administration stopped that practice for children in January, allowing children who cross the border alone to remain in the U.S. while they await immigration court proceedings. Experts say that a pull factor created by Biden’s policy change is one of several factors driving the uptick in unaccompanied minors. Another is a federal judge’s order in November that stopped the Trump administration’s practice of returning accompanied children. Our ruling A widely shared Facebook post claimed: \"Kids in cages\" in border facilities are \"at 700% capacity.\" The term \"cage\" is a subjective one that Democrats used to attack the Trump administration’s policy of separating children from their parents and temporarily housing them in facilities with chain-link enclosures. A Texas tent complex that houses migrant children temporarily has been at more than 700% capacity, as record numbers of children cross the Mexico border. But the Biden administration’s policy is to house unaccompanied minors while they await immigration proceedings and not to return them to Mexico. The statement is partially accurate but leaves out important details or takes things out of context. We rate it Half True. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources Facebook post, April 10, 2021 Associated Press, \"Claim of ‘kids in cages’ hypocrisy is missing context,\" Feb. 26, 2021 Washington Post, \"No, Biden’s new border move isn’t like Trump’s ‘kids in cages,’\" Feb. 23, 2021 CNN, \"Children sleeping on mats in overcrowded plastic pods: Inside a facility on the US-Mexico border,\" March 30, 2021 CBS News, \"’They never saw the sun’: Lawyers describe overcrowded conditions for children in Border Patrol custody,\" March 12, 2021 Daily Mail, \"Inside new Texas migrant facility already 700% over-capacity after only three weeks - and where \'children are going hungry and sleeping on the floor\': Biden prepares to house 3,000 teens at Dallas convention center 500 miles away,\" March 16, 2021 PolitiFact, \"No, Biden is not separating families entering the country,\" Feb. 25, 2021 PolitiFact, \"Fact-checking Biden on use of cages for immigrants during Obama administration,\" Sept. 13, 2019 PolitiFact, \"More children held at the border under Biden than Trump, but not 4 times as many,\" April 9, 2021 PolitiFact, \"Border surge of minors is due to numerous factors, Biden policies among them,\" March 29, 2021 U.S. Customs and Border Protection, news release and photos, Feb. 9, 2021 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Tom Kertscher slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 19, 2023 in an Instagram post: A wind turbine must “spin continually for over four years just to replace the energy it took to manufacture it.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 28, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on July 15, 2023 in un video en TikTok: \"Biden elimina ‘tráfico sexual de menores’ como una de las prioridades del Departamento de Justicia de su gobierno”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • July 25, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 17, 2023 in an Instagram post: \"Florida to ban mRNA vaccines as credible evidence of biological weapons.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 18, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a Facebook post: Video suggests Canada wildfires were deliberately set to advance “smart cities” push. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 30, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a video: Women vaccinated against COVID-19 face \"unknown side effects that could perpetually go down through the lineage\" to their children. 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![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 20, 2023 in a Facebook post: “Official statement — Putin assassinated in the Kremlin!” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Tom Kertscher • August 22, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 8, 2023 in a Facebook post: \"The federal government has just declared a major food shortage emergency\" in six states. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 16, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Steve Kirsch stated on August 8, 2023 in a blog post: COVID-19 vaccines have killed 676,000 Americans. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Tom Kertscher • August 14, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 6, 2023 in a viral image: California passed a law “reducing penalties for oral, anal sex with willing children.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 9, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on June 22, 2023 in a post: A new law allows people to permanently erase unpaid debt older than two years from their credit records. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 1, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 28, 2023 in a video: “Skin cancer is a relatively new phenomenon in the last 60 years or so.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 1, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on July 26, 2023 in a Facebook post: Says Bill Gates said, “We’re taking things that are genetically modified organisms, and we’re injecting them into little kids’ arms” in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 31, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 19, 2023 in an Instagram post: A wind turbine must “spin continually for over four years just to replace the energy it took to manufacture it.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 28, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on July 15, 2023 in un video en TikTok: \"Biden elimina ‘tráfico sexual de menores’ como una de las prioridades del Departamento de Justicia de su gobierno”. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • July 25, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on July 17, 2023 in an Instagram post: \"Florida to ban mRNA vaccines as credible evidence of biological weapons.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • July 18, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a Facebook post: Video suggests Canada wildfires were deliberately set to advance “smart cities” push. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 30, 2023 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on August 26, 2023 in a video: Women vaccinated against COVID-19 face \"unknown side effects that could perpetually go down through the lineage\" to their children. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 29, 2023 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on August 25, 2023 in a Facebook post: As of Aug. 25, \"Luis Rubiales has resigned as the president of the Spanish Football Federation.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Tom Kertscher • August 29, 2023 ### Fact-checking whether ‘kids in cages’ border facility is at 700% capacity * ![](\\" ![](\\" Debbie Mucarsel-Powell stated on August 7, 2024 in an ad: Sen. Rick Scott does not support abortion exceptions. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Marta Campabadal Graus • August 14, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on August 9, 2024 in una publicación en Instagram: \"Elon Musk anuncia su primera novia (un robot con inteligencia artificial)\". ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • August 14, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on August 12, 2024 in an Instagram post: Kamala Harris posted about banning Barron Trump’s friend from X because he wore a “Biden Loves Minors” shirt. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • August 14, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Threads posts stated on August 10, 2024 in a Threads post: Video shows former President Donald Trump freezing up. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • August 14, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on August 11, 2024 in una publicación en Instagram: Video muestra policías entrando en una casa en Inglaterra \"por comentarios en redes sociales\". ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Maria Briceño • August 14, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Charlie Kirk stated on August 6, 2024 in a Threads post: “During Covid, Tim Walz rationed access to monoclonal antibody treatments based on skin color.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Jeff Cercone • August 14, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Walz stated on August 6, 2024 in a speech: J.D. Vance “literally wrote the foreword for the architect of the Project 2025 agenda.\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" ![\\"true\\"](\\" By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • August 14, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Jesse Watters stated on August 6, 2024 in a segment on \"Jesse Watters Primetime\": Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz “forced schools to stock tampons in boys’ bathrooms.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • August 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on August 11, 2024 in an Instagram post: Craigslist ad shows “every single person” at Kamala Harris’ Arizona rally was paid. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Sofia Ahmed • August 13, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on August 11, 2024 in a post on Truth Social: Photo of Kamala Harris’ Aug. 7 rally near Detroit was AI-generated and “there was nobody there.” Attendees pictured “didn’t exist.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Madison Czopek • August 12, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. 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Kids in cages in border facilities are at 700 capacity