The Washington Post made revisions to its March 23 story that claimed “There’s no migrant ‘surge’ at the U.S. southern border. Here’s the data.” While the new version says, “this post has been updated,” the writers do not explain which parts were edited. A comparison to the archived version of the page shows quite a bit changed.
The headline now reads, “The migrant ‘surge’ at the U.S. southern border is actually a predictable pattern." And the introduction, which spoke about House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy declaring the rise in unaccompanied minors crossing the border a “crisis…created by the presidential policies of this new administration," has been removed.
The edited version of the article also includes an entirely new section on the surge of unaccompanied minors crossing the border, admitting this “appears to be more than just a seasonal pattern.”
What is more unusual at this moment is the increase in border crossings by unaccompanied minors, which appears to be more than just a seasonal pattern. This poses a more distinctive challenge for the Biden administration, although it is also possible that there will be a similar drop in crossings by minors during the summer months.
Have Biden administration policies caused this increase? There is no evidence to suggest that this is the case. Organizations working with asylum seekers and unaccompanied children in the San Diego-Tijuana border region tell us that even before President Biden took office smugglers may have been exploiting potential clients by claiming it would be easier to enter the United States once the Trump administration was gone.This is supported by the literature that examines changes in the fees smugglers charge at the U.S.-Mexico border, as well as a DHS report on the same subject. (WaPo)
As many on Twitter pointed out, even the original story didn’t jibe with what The Washington Post was reporting elsewhere in its pages.
But just a few days ago in the @washingtonpost, this ... "No end in sight": Inside the Biden Administration's failure to contain the border surge. https://t.co/EMCn8qmPB6
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 23, 2021
So which is it? Depends on the day of the week.
— Laura Ingraham (@IngrahamAngle) March 23, 2021
Washington Post 5 days ago - ‘What’s causing the migrant surge at the US border?’
— Chris Plante Show (@ChrisPlanteShow) March 24, 2021
Washington post yesterday - ‘There’s no migrant surge at the US southern border’ pic.twitter.com/8GEFb4gpIE
Observers have had a keen eye on the paper's revisions recently after The Washington Post came under fire earlier this month over a major correction to its Jan. 9 story admitting former President Trump never actually pressured Georgia’s top elections investigator.
