A Facebook post is spreading misinformation about a newly constructed temporary housing facility for migrants on the outskirts of Tucson, Arizona.<\/p>\n
“This is a child sex trafficking facility here in Tucson,” the text overlapping\u00a0an image falsely claims.<\/strong>\u00a0“The address is 4300 E Los Reales Rd by the airport.”<\/p>\n The image is a screenshot of various\u00a0Snapchat personal stories, but the posters’ usernames have been blacked out. It’s been shared more than 600 times since it was posted June 8 on Facebook.<\/p>\n The user didn’t respond to\u00a0USA TODAY’s\u00a0request for comment.<\/p>\n The explanation for the new building is simple: It’s a housing center for immigrants who are\u00a0waiting to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.<\/p>\n The images of migrants\u00a0being held in cramped CBP detention centers due to overcrowding continue to catch Americans’ attention.<\/p>\n A new facility in Tucson that could house up to 500 migrants aims to address the overcrowding the city has seen since 2020.<\/p>\n The tent-like facility opened April 29.\u00a0It will hold between 150 and 200 migrants (due to COVID-19 restrictions) waiting to be processed by the border patrol.<\/p>\n Fact check:<\/strong> Kamala Harris\u2019 children\u2019s book is not in \u2018welcome packs\u2019 for migrants<\/span><\/p>\n The temporary housing center is\u00a0located at 4550 East E. Los Reales Road, which is on the same lot listed\u00a0on the social media post.<\/p>\n The 80,000-square-foot facility\u00a0will be used to “safely and expeditiously process individuals in U.S. Border Patrol custody,” CBP said in a press release.<\/p>\n Between March 2020 and March 2021, the Tucson sector saw\u00a0an\u00a083% increase in unaccompanied children crossing the border, CBP reported.\u00a0 Family members encountered during that period fell by 53%, but the number of single adults crossing there rose by more than 200%.<\/p>\n The increase of migrants was\u00a0partly\u00a0due to worsening economic conditions\u00a0in Latin American countries caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, CBP said in the press release.<\/p>\n At the beginning of April, before the facility opened, around 75\u00a0migrant families\u00a0were staying in local hotels while waiting to be transported to their final destinations, Tucson Mayor Regina Romero said in a statement.<\/p>\n The temporary housing center has a processing room, group sleeping pods with mats, an outside open area, showers and bathrooms, according to photos published by CBP.<\/p>\n A\u00a0similar facility was built in Yuma in April to house\u00a0migrants who are also waiting to be processed.<\/p>\n Both facilities, like many others across the country, are stocked with basic necessities for the migrants, including clothing, shoes, diapers, toothbrushes and food,\u00a0images posted by CBP show.<\/p>\n We rate the claim that a new facility in Tucson is a child sex trafficking facility FALSE, based on our research. The facility is actually a Customs and Border Protection temporary migrant housing center, according to the agency’s press release, which places the facility in the same area listed on the social media post.<\/p>\nFacility is migrant housing center<\/h2>\n
Our rating: False<\/h2>\n
Our fact-check sources:<\/h2>\n
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