Melissa Joskow / Media Matters 

On June 19, the Associated Press reported that the Trump administration has so far sent hundreds of immigrant babies and toddlers who were forcibly separated from their parents to “tender age” facilities in Texas. Many of these parents torn from their children are coming to the U.S. seeking asylum. According to the article, doctors and lawyers who have seen the shelters “described play rooms of crying preschool-age children in crisis.” Fox News has completely ignored the report.

This reporting on the administration’s child prisons is just the latest in a series of horrendous stories that have emerged since the adoption of a “zero tolerance” policy for those who cross the border “illegally.” Under the new policy, at least 2,000 children have been taken from their parents since April 19. There have been reports of a breastfeeding baby who was ripped from her mother, a Honduran father separated from his family who took his own life, parents deported while their children remained in U.S. government custody, and children who are held in cages alongside strangers.

Fox News has neglected to report on the administration’s latest inhumanity. A Media Matters review found that between the story’s publication around 10 p.m. on June 19 through the end of its flagship morning show Fox & Friends at 9 a.m. on June 20, the network completely failed to acknowledge the “tender age” shelters. Fox News’ apathy towards the story was in stark contrast to its treatment on rival station MSNBC, where host Rachel Maddow broke down while reporting on the shelters. CNN has also covered the story.

This isn’t the first time that Fox has failed to cover heart wrenching reporting on the realities of the administration’s policy of forcible family separation. Just this week, the network ignored the publication of an audio recording of sobbing children who had been separated from their parents. Fox’s neglect of these stories is not remotely surprising given how many of the network’s hosts and contributors have defended the barbaric separation policy.

Methodology

Media Matters searched SnapStream for mentions of “tender age,” “baby,” and “babies” on Fox News between 10 p.m. on June 19 and 9:00 a.m. on June 20. All mentions relevant to the story were included.