TIME Magazine issues correction for calling claim Harris supported funding migrant sex changes 'false'

TIME Magazine was forced to correct its coverage of the ABC News Presidential Debate after implying former President Trump’s statement that Vice President Kamala Harris supported free gender transition treatment for detained migrants was "false."

During the ABC News Presidential Debate Tuesday night, Trump remarked on Harris’ old position as one of many left-wing issues she appeared to have walked back on since running for president.

"Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison," Trump said.

Though Harris pledged she would support taxpayer-funded gender care for detained migrants in an ACLU candidate questionnaire during her first presidential campaign, TIME Magazine first reported the statement as "false."

Former President Trump brought up Vice President Kamala Harris' past support of funding gender transition treatments for detained migrants as one of her far-left positions.  (Fox News screenshot)

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"The original version of this story mischaracterized as false Donald Trump's statement accusing Kamala Harris of supporting ‘transgender operations on illegal aliens in prison’ As a presidential candidate in 2019, Harris filled out a questionnaire saying she supported taxpayer-funded gender transition treatment for detained immigrants," a correction read.

Fox News Digital reached out to TIME for a comment.

Many other far-left reporters also considered it too absurd to be true, implying Trump made the concept up during the debate.

"’She wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison’ is the WILDEST thing I've ever heard in any debate. EVER," former CNN commentator Marc Lamont Hill wrote.

The New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser wrote, "Trump made history last night for sure. Who will ever forget him ranting on stage about immigrants eating people's dogs? Or insisting that the Vice President 'wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in jail'?"

She also mocked the line in her piece about the debate Wednesday.

"His line about how the Vice-President ‘wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens that are in prison’ was pretty memorable, too. What the hell was he talking about? No one knows, which was, of course, exactly Harris’s point," Glasser wrote.

The Atlantic staff writer Jennifer Senior joked, "’Transgender operations on illegal aliens’ is really unfair to those Americans playing drinking games."

"’Now she wants to do transgender operations on illegal aliens who are in prison.’ That’s verbatim," The Insider editor Michael Weiss reported.

The Daily Beast also listed Trump’s quote as one of the "best memes" of the night without mentioning Harris’ past support.

CNN brought Harris’ position back into the spotlight Monday night after senior editor Andrew Kaczynski reported to host Erin Burnett about the recently uncovered 2019 ACLU candidate questionnaire featuring Harris' policy position.

"It is important that transgender individuals who rely on the state for care receive the treatment they need, which includes access to treatment associated with gender transition. That’s why, as Attorney General, I pushed the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to provide gender transition surgery to state inmates," Harris pledged.

A resurfaced 2019 ACLU questionnaire showed Harris pledged support for taxpayer-funded gender transition treatments for prisoners and detained migrants.  (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

She continued, "I support policies ensuring that federal prisoners and detainees are able to obtain medically necessary care for gender transition, including surgical care, while incarcerated or detained. Transition treatment is a medical necessity, and I will direct all federal agencies responsible for providing essential medical care to deliver transition treatment."

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Burnett was stunned by Harris’ answer.

"Taxpayer-funded gender transition surgeries for detained migrants? She actually said she supported that?" Burnett asked incredulously. 

CNN anchor Erin Burnett almost did a double take when hearing that then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris supported taxpayers funding gender surgeries for migrants back in 2019.  (Screenshot/CNN)

She later remarked, "I mean these are things that you know, it would be hard to think that you would come up with taxpayer-funding gender transitions for detained migrants, and yet as you say, written and verbally."

In an interview with Fox News’ "America’s Newsroom" Tuesday, Harris spokesperson Michael Tyler denied that position was part of her current campaign.

Lindsay Kornick is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and on Twitter: @lmkornick.