Claim of FEMA ‘prison camps’ is part of long-running, thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory

A nearly 8,000-word post circulating on social media claiming the U.S. government has hundreds of prison camps at the ready includes a hodgepodge of debunked conspiracy theories, some that are decades old.

"There (are) over 800 prison camps in the United States, all fully operational and ready to receive prisoners," the Jan. 19 post on Facebook says. "They are all staffed and even surrounded by full-time guards, but they are all empty. These camps are to be operated by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)."

The claim continues, saying the camps "all have railroad facilities as well as roads leading to and from the detention facilities. Many also have an airport nearby. The majority of the camps can house a population of 20,000 prisoners."

The post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

The claim is "absolutely false," a FEMA spokesperson told PolitiFact.

We found no evidence, in media or government reports or anywhere else, to corroborate the claim. However, there are many reports that debunk false claims about FEMA camps.

Information cited in the post as purported proof — including specific executive orders and alleged locations of camps — is misleading or false.

None of the concepts in the claim are new; a post with nearly identical opening paragraphs was shared on a Yahoo message board in September 2000. The baseless idea that the U.S. government might try to imprison its citizens in FEMA-run concentration camps has a long history, but the COVID-19 pandemic brought it renewed attention.

"Among certain right-wing conspiracy theorist circles, notably the militia movement, fears of government-imposed martial law, FEMA camps, gun confiscation, and depopulation have been prevalent for decades," according to a 2020 report from the Anti-Defamation League. "Many of these concerns have been updated and applied to the coronavirus, and they are spreading so rampantly that the Department of Defense and local law enforcement agencies have had to address them."

PolitiFact also has debunked claims about FEMA prison camps or detention centers related to COVID-19.

The Facebook post says FEMA is associated with specific executive orders which would allow the agency to "suspend the Constitution and the Bill of Rights," and lists the numbers of 15 executive orders.

PolitiFact reported in 2014 on 14 of the same executive orders, which "allegedly usurp traditional executive powers, including things like seizing control of the media, railroads, waterways and correctional institutions." In reality, though, those order numbers matched up with executive orders on either entirely different topics or orders that were much more limited in scope.

The executive orders in question originated in 1962, Popular Mechanics reported, when the U.S. was involved in conflicts in both Cuba and Vietnam and the prospect of a Cold War with the Soviet Union loomed. So "President John F. Kennedy signed a series of executive orders that outlined the basic framework for agency responsibilities during a national emergency."

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And rather than allowing the suspension of citizens’ rights, "safeguards were written into the current framework of responsibilities, declaring that any emergency preparation or actions ‘shall be consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States,’" according to the 2014 article in Popular Mechanics.

Almost all of the executive orders have since been revoked.

The Facebook post also includes details about where the purported 800 prison camps are located, including Fort Chaffee in Arkansas and Camp Grayling in Michigan. But evidence does not corroborate those claims.

For example, the post says that Fort Chaffee "has new runway for aircraft, new camp facility with cap of 40,000 prisoners." That same claim was debunked in a 2010 report called "Fear of FEMA" from the Southern Poverty Law Center, and there’s no evidence that anything has changed since.

A Facebook post says, "There (are) over 800 prison camps in the United States, all fully operational and ready to receive prisoners. They are all staffed and even surrounded by full-time guards, but they are all empty. These camps are to be operated by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)."

A FEMA spokesperson said the claim is false. There is no evidence, such as media or government reports, to support the claim. Meanwhile, there are many reports that debunk false claims about FEMA camps.

Information cited in the claim as purported proof — including specific executive orders and alleged locations of camps — is misleading or false.

We rate this claim Pants on Fire!