During the 2000 election campaign and in the early days of the Biden presidency, Democrats were touting the new administration as being the most compassionate and transparent ever.

Beware of first impressions and the left-wing propagandists. As Biden’s poll numbers plummet from crisis to crisis, those being polled are wising to the fact that this administration has been anything but transparent and benevolent.

As early as March, an NBC News correspondent pointed out that even though Biden stated he was committed to being especially transparent about the conditions inside migrant facilities at the border, the media has not had access to information about the conditions inside most migrant facilities since Biden took office.

“This (plans for how to handle people seeking asylum in the U.S.) is being set up and you’ll have full access to everything once we get this thing moving,” Biden boasted.

That was six months ago and the administration is still selective about where the media can go in covering the border crisis. Team Biden has been doing its best to mask the disastrous policies that have led to a tsunami of human suffering.

Miranda Devine, a conservative Australian columnist and writer, saw through the administration’s spin and reported that the border crisis in Del Rio, Texas, is now a “humanitarian catastrophe” and that President Joe Biden has “ignored it.”

Devine said that the border is wide open by design. From the very first day of his presidency, Biden canceled all of the Trump-era protections and that, she said, started the fire. Biden pretended it isn’t happening - he’s ignored it - and is hoping the media ignores it, Devine stated.

One thing they can’t hide from are the images of the 15,000 mostly Haitian immigrants living in squalor conditions under the bridge in Del Rio. The makeshift migrant camp looked like something you would find in Third World countries.

Among the most vulnerable people being affected by Biden administration policies are the children. While the administration tries to spin a narrative about the border being under control, video reports show a much different picture.

Last week, during a Senate Homeland Security Committee hearing on threats to the Homeland, Sen. Josh Hawley sought answers from DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on the unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border. A day before, GOP Sen. Ron Johnson also demanded that Mayorkas provide the data on the number of migrants crossing into the U.S. illegally.

Mayorkas had no answer, nor did he or anyone in the administration provide data on the migrants not being tested for COVID-19 or showing proof of vaccination.

That leads to another Biden disaster whereby children are being victimized - the administration’s mandate on mask wearing.

One heartbreaking video that went worldwide on social media last week shows a toddler named Mason in a New York day care center being forced to wear a mask by an adult worker. Mason’s mother shared the video of her crying son, who is visibly irritated by the face covering, to show just how difficult and unrealistic it is to have small children wearing face coverings for long periods of time.

The backlash on social media was immediate.

“At one time a virtual stranger tying a gag around your kids mouth would have been cause for arrest,” one responder stated. “It’s amazing how the world has changed.”

A sampler of other comments included :

• “Kid’s gonna be traumatized for life. Hope it’s worth it.”

• “Torturous and evil for something toddlers are not at risk to. Pure evil!”

• “My kid couldn’t even keep a hat on much less a ridiculous mask, This is child abuse. God bless little Mason.”

• “This infuriates me. Torturing a child with a devices that has questionable use … and the child has almost no risk. Evil.”

This day care case is not an isolated one.

In Las Vegas, the mother of a 9-year-old boy accused a substitute teacher of taping a mask onto her son’s face after he forgot to wear one when he got up during class for a drink of water.

She said that the teacher did not tell the boy to put a mask on but instead, pulled him up in front of the classroom in front of all of the students and then taped the mask across the top of his face. Given the fact that the entire class was laughing, the mother said she was scared on what kind of long-term effect the incident would have on her son socially.

The mother added that her son told her that it was not an isolated incident - other students also had their masks taped on their faces - and that she would like to see the teacher fired.

The district, which is investigating the matter, has required masks in schools, regardless of age or vaccination status, since late July when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students and visitors to K-12 schools.

Whether it’s the Central American migration overrunning the southern border or the misguided mask-wearing mandate, promises of a more compassionate and transparent administration have turned into a human catastrophe that includes the most vulnerable among us - the children.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.