Press Corps Aghast Over New Audio of Crying Children in Border Facility: ‘I Could Puke’

In a new report out Monday afternoon, ProPublica posted heart-wrenching audio of sobbing children separated from their families at the border — and Federal agents mocking their cries in the background.

As the White House delayed the daily briefing by nearly four hours, the audio was played in the briefing room.

Reporters are listening to audio of kids crying in border patrol facility, moments ahead of press briefing @ProPublica pic.twitter.com/h4d8lGVLXj

— Jorge Rivas (@thisisjorge) June 18, 2018

Those who covered the White House were simply aghast:

This is extremely hard to listen to. https://t.co/ckRfCzVOSp

— Philip Bump (@pbump) June 18, 2018

This is tragedy porn for sadists. https://t.co/XM4XEbmiTB

— Elise Jordan (@Elise_Jordan) June 18, 2018

This cannot happen in Americahttps://t.co/2UJNcNd0dx

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) June 18, 2018

Sickening https://t.co/Ha9Kgn10vC

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) June 18, 2018

And so too were many others in the media:

On the C-SPAN feed of the White House briefing room, where Sarah Huckabee Sanders is nearly three hours late, you can watch reporters listen to audio from inside the detention center. People look haunted.

— Scott Bixby (@scottbix) June 18, 2018

This is the sound of children being torn from their parents. It is excruciating to listen to, but we can't turn away. @ProPublica's @gingerthomp1 obtained exclusive audio from inside a detention facility. https://t.co/IDCmsY8TD0

— Pamela Colloff (@pamelacolloff) June 18, 2018

If you can listen to the @Propublica recording of wailing children and chuckling border guards and not feel ill, I almost feel sorry for you

— Bruce Arthur (@bruce_arthur) June 18, 2018

This is harrowing, unbearable, agonizing audio published by @ProPublicahttps://t.co/8XdlPhDH9T

— Mark Berman (@markberman) June 18, 2018

Almost unbearable. And yet reporters at the White House briefing should be playing this audio when called upon. We must bear witness. It is being done in our name. https://t.co/pTog87iNKR

— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan) June 18, 2018

god i feel sick https://t.co/zlUV6uJ5hj

— Ashley Feinberg (@ashleyfeinberg) June 18, 2018

[image via screengrab]

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Follow Joe DePaolo (@joe_depaolo) on Twitter

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