We fact-check several claims from President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, and one from the Democratic response, in this video.
Video: SOTU and the Democratic Response
Issues: Illegal immigration
FactChecking the State of the Union
The president’s address included false and misleading claims on jobs, wages, energy, immigration and more.
Post Blurs Facts on Military Draft, Immigrants
A meme falsely claims President Donald Trump “makes illegals eligible” for the draft. There is no military draft, and immigrants — including those in the country illegally — are already required to register with the Selective Service.
A Misleading Take on Immigrant, Veterans Health Care
A long-circulating headline on social media misleadingly tells users that Democrats chose to “vote down” a health records system for veterans while approving the same for immigrants who cross the border illegally. The bill in question did not affect veterans.
False Meme about California’s ‘Illegal Aliens’
A meme on Facebook falsely claims that the California attorney general “bragged there are now 10 Million Illegal Aliens” in the state, when in fact he was talking about immigrants. The estimated number of people living in the state illegally ranges from 2 million to 3.1 million.
Trump Ad Misleads on Illegal Immigration
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign makes the misleading claim in a TV ad that he is “cutting illegal immigration in half.” In fact, apprehensions at the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2019 were more than double the total in fiscal year 2016 and almost triple the total in fiscal year 2017.
A Misleading Take on the Trump Family’s Citizenship
Viral social media posts wrongly suggest that President Donald Trump’s three eldest children are citizens only because of birthright citizenship.
Falsehoods About Family Separations Linger Online
A viral social media post falsely claims that former President Barack Obama “separated” many more children at the border than President Donald Trump.
O’Rourke on Jobs ‘No One Else Will Do’
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke said workers living in the U.S. illegally who were swept up in immigration raids at chicken processing plants in Mississippi are “doing a job that no one else will do.” The jobs are hard and don’t pay well, but they are in demand at one of the plants.
Trump’s Numbers July 2019 Update
Statistical measures of how things have changed since the president took office.