Various news outlets, including Agence France-Presse, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and Reuters, reported this week that a United Nations study showed that there are “more than 100,000 children in migration-related U.S. detention.”
That sounds pretty bad. It means America has “the world’s highest rate of children in detention,” in violation of “international law.”
Except, oops! It is total nonsense.
First, the number of minors currently detained in the United States is more like 6,500: 1,500 detained by the Department of Homeland Security and 5,000 detained by the Department of Health and Human Services, as attorney and Washington Examiner contributor Gabriel Malor helpfully notes.
Second, newsrooms wrongly blamed the Trump administration for what was actually a study of the cumulative (not current) number of migration-related detentions for the year 2015. The 100,000 figure cited in the U.N. study includes everything from minors who were held for a day to minors who were held for several months. Further, you might recall — if you are not suffering too severely from “Trump derangement syndrome” — that Trump was not even sworn in to the White House until January 2017. In fact, in 2015, nobody thought Trump would ever be president.
That “100,000” figure should have never made it past the editing process, let alone launch a handful of headlines declaring the U.S. the leader in detained children. That figure requires not just shoddy math but also a total suspension of disbelief regarding what goes on in the darker, more tyrannical corners of the world. To say the U.S. is a world leader in detained minors would mean that America is measured against all countries, including China, Russia, and North Korea. If you believe U.N. investigators have reliable figures from any of those countries, then, oh boy, have I got a bridge to sell you.
To the surprise of absolutely no one with even an ounce of skepticism, the supposedly shocking news report has fallen apart. A few of the outlets that misreported the U.N. study have announced since that they are withdrawing their respective articles.
“AFP is withdrawing this story,” the French newsgroup announced Tuesday. “The author of the report has clarified that his figures do not represent the number of children currently in migration-related U.S. detention, but the total number of children in migration-related U.S. detention in 2015. We will delete the story.”
Reuters has also withdrawn its equally shoddy and false article. In its place is now an editor’s note that reads, “A Nov. 18 story headlined ‘U.S. has world’s highest rate of children in detention -U.N. study’ is withdrawn. The United Nations issued a statement on Nov. 19, saying the number was not current but was for the year 2015. No replacement story will be issued.”
NPR likewise issued a note stating that it has “temporarily withdrawn [its] story because the study’s author has acknowledged a significant error in the data.”
The note adds, “We will post a revised article with more complete information as soon as possible.”
These since-withdrawn reports were based on a complete misreading of the U.N. study, but they were ready to believe whatever they thought would make the Trump administration look bad, and that is kind of hilarious.
