Fact check: What was the Obama administration's policy on family separation at the border?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, the Obama administration did not have a widespread policy of separating parents and children at the border ^[1]. Multiple fact-checking sources consistently contradict claims that Obama implemented systematic family separation policies similar to those later enacted under the Trump administration.

The key findings include:

• The Obama administration built detention facilities that were later referred to as "cages," but these were not used for systematic separation of parents and children like under the Trump administration ^[2]
• Claims that Obama separated 89,000 children from their parents are false - this number actually refers to unaccompanied children who were placed with sponsors, not children separated from their parents ^[3]
• While rare separations may have occurred under Obama due to individual concerns, there was no widespread policy of family separation ^{[1] [4]}
• The Trump administration's "zero tolerance" policy represented a new development that led to systematic family separations through the prosecution of all adults crossing the border illegally ^{[2] [4]}

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The analyses reveal important context about the Obama administration's broader immigration enforcement approach:

• Obama's administration was highly aggressive in deportations, removing more than 2.4 million people, nearly as many as his two predecessors combined ^[5]
• The administration focused enforcement on recent border crossers and those with criminal records rather than individuals who had established roots in US communities ^[6]
• Obama's immigration legacy was mixed - while protecting 730,000 young people known as Dreamers, the administration also pursued aggressive enforcement that led to deportations without due process in some cases ^{[5] [7]}
• The administration detained families together in 2014, which was different from the later systematic separation policy ^[2]

Political figures who benefit from promoting the narrative that Obama had similar family separation policies include Trump and his allies, who use these claims to deflect criticism from their own policies ^[1].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is neutral and seeks factual information. However, the analyses reveal that significant misinformation exists in the public discourse surrounding this topic:

• False claims persist that Obama separated 89,000 children from their parents, when this figure actually represents unaccompanied minors placed with sponsors ^[3]
• Politicians like Mike Pence have falsely blamed Obama for starting family separation policies, which fact-checkers have ruled as categorically false ^[4]
• The conflation of building detention facilities with implementing family separation policies represents a misleading narrative that obscures the distinct policy differences between administrations ^[2]

These mischaracterizations serve to minimize the unprecedented nature of the Trump administration's systematic family separation policy by suggesting it was merely a continuation of existing practices rather than a significant policy departure.