Donald Trump Calls Out Dems For Using Obama-Era Photo Of ‘Kids In Cages’
Donald Trump called out House Democrats on Thursday for using an Obama-era image of immigrant children in cages to criticize his administration’s current detention policy. The president sent out a tweet calling the “horrible,” now-deleted picture an embarrassment for progressives.
“Democrats had to quickly take down a tweet called ‘Kids In Cages, Inhumane Treatment at the Border,’ because the horrible picture used was from the Obama years. Very embarrassing!” he wrote.
The president was apparently made aware of the image, which was taken in 2014, after a segment on Fox & Friends, which he tagged in his tweet.
The image was originally used by the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s social media account to promote a hearing about the treatment of migrant children at the border. The 2014 image, taken by The Associated Press, showed children on the floor in fenced cages. A representative for the committee told The Hill that the photo was used in error and it has been removed, adding that Trump’s border policies don’t compare to Obama’s.
“The Obama Administration did not separate children from their families and create dehumanizing conditions as a way to deter immigration and asylum, which is the stated policy of the Trump Administration,” the rep said.
Republicans were quick to jump on the image’s use, pointing out that it is evidence of Obama’s immigration policy, not Trump’s.
“The photos, taken by The Associated Press, were from 2014, during the Obama administration, but were presented by liberal activists as if they showed the effects of Trump’s immigration policy now,” tweeted Oversight Committee Republicans.
Tim Murtaugh, Trump’s director of communications for his 2020 re-election campaign, also weighed in on the matter with a tweet of his own accusing Dems of playing politics.
Continuing to prove that Dems are only playing politics with the border crisis, House Democrats promoted a hearing on “kids in cages” with a photo taken in 2014.
As in, during the Obama Administration.
Don’t bother looking for their tweet – it’s been deleted. pic.twitter.com/tXWvMNpYYH
— Tim Murtaugh (@TimMurtaugh) July 9, 2019
The image is part of an on-going attempt by the House Democrats to look into the treatment of migrant children attempting to seek asylum in the United States, after news reports and visits by progressive leaders revealed shocking conditions at the detention facilities.
One report found that there were diseases such as shingles spreading throughout the facilities, and that the detainees were not receiving adequate medical care to address the issues. Others reported a lack of access to showers and a change of clothing. Many Republicans agree that conditions at the border facilities are not up to standard, but say that the situation is caused by an influx of migrants and lack of money to address the issue.
