Pentagon: Nat’l Guard not free labor at Capitol
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby says the extension of the national guard at the Capitol by another two months was not due to the fact that they were ‘free labor’. (March 10)
AP
The claim: The government did not spend anything on housing for National Guard troops, but millions on shelter for migrants
The influx of migrants crossing the southern border has become a focal point of President Joe Biden’s government. The president has been criticized for expanding former President Donald Trump’s policy of housing unaccompanied migrant children, who some say is close, the U.S. reported TODAY.
A Facebook entry on March 24 indicates that an excessive amount is being spent to house the migrants – who are called ‘illegal immigrants’. It compares a cost estimate to ‘free’ housing for the National Guard troops deployed in Washington after Trump supporters attacked the US Capitol on January 6.
Two sentences covered in a photo of guard troops sleeping on a parking deck and on a picture of a hotel room it says’ Housing for national guard – no cost. Housing for Illegal Immigrants – $ 86.9 million. Questions?’
The US reported TODAY that the decision to temporarily deploy troops in a parking garage. Facebook user Doug Treff has been recognized for creating the meme, in response to a request for comment from the US TODAY.
Evidence shows that the government has outsourced migrant housing to a non-profit enterprise. But the claim is inaccurate that guard troops did not receive adequate accommodation while stationed in Washington.
Fact check: Statement on migrants on the southern border is falsely attributed to Ted Cruz
The claim gets migrant housing costs right
The Department of Homeland Security has signed a $ 86.9 million contract with a nonprofit arm of Endeavors, a faith-based family reunification organization, to provide temporary shelter for migrants placed in immigration procedures for eventual removal from the United States. , according to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Act Director Tae Johnson.
“The $ 86.9 million contract provides 1,239 beds and other essential services. The families will receive a comprehensive health assessment that includes COVID-19 testing,” Johnson said in a March 20 ICE press release. “Our border is not open. The majority of individuals are still suspended under the Centers for Disease Health Care.”
Under Title 42, a Trump-era policy, most migrants are rejected at the border to prevent COVID-19 from spreading to facilities, according to USA TODAY. Biden continued the policy with some differences.
Fact check: Meme misrepresents Biden’s actions at the border and schools
Under Trump, DHS officials detained unaccompanied minors in hotels before sending them back to their countries of origin. According to press secretary Jen Psaki, reports USA TODAY, migrant children are admitted for their safety under the Biden government.
“We feel it is our responsibility to approach these circumstances humanely and to ensure that they are treated and placed in safe conditions,” she told a news conference on March 22.
Psaki also said a limited number of migrant families were accepted in the US
National guard housed in Washington hotels
Guard troops were not housed ‘free of charge’ in parking garages, as the claim claims. According to US Department of Defense Press Secretary John F. Kirby, the estimated $ 483 million spent on national guard support has been set off.
Speaking at a news conference on Feb. 8, Kirby said: “Of that, $ 284 million is for staff, and $ 199 million is for operations, and we’ll get that by March 15.”
According to staff of Major Matt Murphy, media liaison officer of the National Guard Bureau, the staff costs were included.
“The National Watch Bureau offered accommodation using a program with pre-negotiated accommodation rates. Because the number of rooms varies according to the requirements of the mission and the power flow, a final cost will not be available until all contracts are paid and reconciled. after the mission, ”he told the USA TODAY via email.
Fact check: Texas ” Operation Lone Star ” is not building the wall
About 26,000 guard troops from across the country were deployed to Washington in the days before and after the inauguration of Biden, USA reported TODAY.
About 5,000 troops were detained for the duration of Trump’s second indictment; from February to mid-March, reports USA TODAY.
Murphy confirmed that the Guard’s current mission will end in mid-May.
According to NPR, approximately 2,300 troops will remain until May 23 to guard the Capitol, according to a 60-day adjournment filed by U.S. Capitol police. The expansion follows intelligence that has revealed a possible security threat from an identified militia group.
A photo in the Facebook claim was taken while the troops were at rest. According to reports from Politico and The Washington Post, The Associated Press, USCP has moved rest areas from Capitol grounds to a nearby parking garage.
“The garage was not where they were housed. They were mostly in hotels and the garage was where they took shifts,” said lt.col. Chris Mitchell, a DOD spokesman, told the US TODAY.
Our rating: partially false
We review this claim PARTIALLY FALSE, based on our research. A Facebook post saying the Biden administration is spending millions on housing for migrant families, while the troops of the National Guard deployed to Washington are housed in a parking garage for free, is based on incomplete information. The amount of temporary shelter for minor minors and some families is correct. But the implication that guards had to stay in a parking garage is false. And it is false to say that no money was spent on housing troops. More was spent on hotel accommodation for troops than housing for migrants.
Our sources for fact checking:
- USA TODAY March 26: “Biden still uses Title 42, an immigration policy from the Trump era. But he has made one important change.”
- USA TODAY January 26: “National Guard troops return to Capitol after moving to a garage”
- USA TODAY February 14: “Fact check: the national guard will stay in DC through Trump’s indictment”
- U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, March 20: “Attribution to ICE Acting Director Tae D. Johnson”
- US Department of Defense, February 8: “Pentagon Press Secretary Updates Reporters on DOD Operations”
- Military Times, February 5: “Deploying the national guard to secure DC costs nearly $ 500 million”
- Attempts, April 1 consulted: “About us”
- Conversation on April 2 with lt.col. Chris Mitchell of the Army
- Conversation on April 2 with Major Matt Murphy, National Relations Officer at the National Public Bureau of Public Relations
Contributing Contributions: The Associated Press
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe here to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica.
Our fact-checking work is supported in part by a Facebook grant.