Former Hillary Clinton spox Jesse Lehrich caused quite a stir today when he tweeted this Washington Post article out titled, “Trump administration preparing to hold immigrant children on military bases” with the added commentary that the “Trump admin is preparing to put migrant children in warehouses…”:
Trump admin is preparing to put migrant children in warehouses on military bases after separating them from their families.https://t.co/MdRJJhSziX
— Jesse Lehrich (@JesseLehrich) May 15, 2018
Spoiler alert: Warehouses were not once mentioned in the article, but that’s really the word that captured blue-check outrage. What’s really going on is that HHS is allegedly beginning the process to identify potential sites, including military bases, where migrant children may be housed in the future, if needed. From the article:
The bases would be used for minors under 18 who arrive at the border without an adult relative or after the government has separated them from their parents. HHS is the government agency responsible for providing minors with foster care until another adult relative can assume custody.
Some examples at the “warehouse” outrage:
This is aggressive cruelty https://t.co/7MIXvtpFtZ
— Chris Hayes (@chrislhayes) May 15, 2018
If the phrase "put children in warehouses" doesn't bother you, then I don't know what will. https://t.co/fMTVcmDmYP
— Wendy Molyneux (@WendyMolyneux) May 15, 2018
https://twitter.com/KenPlume/status/996519847398969345
This is inhumane and likely a giant abuse scandal (of one kind or another) in the making. https://t.co/d4lo7kqQDk
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) May 15, 2018
The tweet even drew the attention of Chelsea Clinton who called the plan, which has yet to be implemented mind you, “cruelty beyond any decent comprehension”:
Cruelty beyond any decent comprehension: https://t.co/rqGR3qjDbU
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) May 15, 2018
Really? Because if you read the article you’d find that housing these kids on military bases happened during the Obama administration as well:
The use of military bases to hold immigrant children is not without precedent. At the peak of the 2014 child-immigration crisis, the Obama administration used bases in Oklahoma, Texas and California to house more than 7,000 children over a period of several months.
Got that? President Obama does it and nothing. A leaked email suggest HHS under the Trump administration is thinking about it and all of sudden it’s “cruelty beyond any decent comprehension”? Try again.
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