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In the flourishing world of baseless conspiracy theories, this one, part hoax, part smear, has been having its moment.

The idea that people whose experiences speak to some of the consequences of government policies are not to be taken at face value, and are actually crisis actors workingfor a nefarious purpose, has taken on particular prominence in the wake of mass shootings,such as those in Newtown, Conn., and Parkland, Fla.

Conservative commentator Ann Coulter on Sunday became the latest figure to spreada similar claim, as a guest on a Fox News show, when she charged that some of the migrant children who have been photographed in varying stages of distresswere child actors, in a bit of messaging she directed at President Trump.

These child actors weeping and crying on all the other networks 24/7 right now; do not fall for it, Mr. President, she said, staring directly into the camera.I get very nervous about the president getting his news from TV.

The separation of children from their parents, a result of a new hard-line immigration enforcement practicerolled out by the Trump administration in recent months, has become a lightning rod political issue, an emotional wedge that has cut across partisan lines in the midst of the national debate about immigration. Supporters of the president have defended the practice, blaming parents for bringing their children across the border and arguing that the children are well cared for once they are takenaway. The president has blamed Democrats, though the practice is a result of changes made by his appointees.

[A secret recording captures the sounds of crying children separated from parents at the border]

Though many Trump supporters have defended the practice, until now no high-profile figures had questioned the authenticity of thechildrens experiences.

Instead, more information about the separations 2,300children have been taken from their parents since the beginning of May, around the time the new zero tolerance policy was rolled out has trickled out in recent days, in the form of reporters visits to the detention centers where the children are held, pictures and even leaked audio. A photograph by Getty Images John Moore of a 2-year-old crying as her mother was patted down by a border agent before the two were separated ricocheted around the media-sphere over the weekend, becoming a stand-in for what some see as the abject cruelty of the new practice.

[I wanted to stop her crying: The image of a migrant child that broke a photographers heart]

Moore, who has been photographing the border for 10 years after stints covering war zones overseas, told The Washington Postabout how he took the photo, after watching a group of migrants cross the border in boats before being apprehended by agents.

Coulters remarks went unquestioned by Fox News host Steve Hilton, on whose show she appeared. He did try to move the conversation forward as a break in the show approached.

I dont know if thats he said, trailing off as Coulter continued. I told you we wouldnt get a word in, he said to the two other guests, Republican former congressman Jason E. Chaffetz and Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle.

But Coulter continued.

These kids are being coached, she said. Theyre given scripts to read by liberals. ... Dont fall for the actor children.

She said her information came from New Yorker magazine, though it was not immediately clear which report she was referring to.

Over a series of emails with The Post, Coulterdid not provide evidence for her claim.

If they were genuine asylees, theyd have stopped in Mexico, she said. Theyd go to Guatemala or Colombia. No, theyre being marched to the U.S. as a political weapon.

In a statement provided by a Fox News spokeswoman, Hilton said: I do not endorse her comments or anything else said by anyone other than myself.

Paul Farhi contributed to this report.

Read more:

Trump defiant as crisis grows over family separation at the border

How a survivor of the Florida school shooting became the victim of an online conspiracy

Jeff Sessions defended family separation with the Bible. John Oliver countered with Dr. Seuss.

America is better than this: What a doctor saw in a Texas shelter for migrant children

The Daily 202: Trump team cannot get its story straight on separating migrant families

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Ann Coulter to Trump: Migrant children are child actors ...