According to a Republican legislator, pallets of baby formula are being transported to Mexico border holding facilities regardless of a shortage that has left many parents in the U.S. unable to get it in their local supermarkets.
Representative Kat Cammack (R-Florida) alleges the White House has allowed the holding facilities to receive shipments of baby formula.
Cammack drew outrage on May 11 when she uploaded images to Twitter that she alleges were provided by a Border Patrol agent. She said the photos were of shelves and pallets of baby formula for unlawful migrants next to a picture of empty shelves at a grocery store in Florida for Americans.
“You see the American government sending by the pallet thousands and thousands of containers of baby formula to the border, that would make my blood boil,” said Cammack in a Facebook video.
As reported by The Dallas Express, parents nationwide are currently being affected by the baby formula shortage.
A major voluntary recall of three popular infant formula brands earlier this year contributed to part of the formula scarcity. Another contributing factor is supply chain issues.
Governor Greg Abbott supported Cammack’s allegations. He and the National Border Patrol Council President Brandon Judd issued a joint statement regarding the Biden administration.
“Children are our most vulnerable, precious Texans and deserve to be put first,” read the statement. “Yet, President Biden has turned a blind eye to parents across America who are facing the nightmare of a nationwide baby formula shortage.”
However, The Washington Post calls Cammack’s claims a faux outrage, claiming the Biden administration follows the law known as the Flores settlement.
The Flores consent decree results from an agreement between President Bill Clinton’s administration and the Justice Department reached in 1997, which began with a class-action lawsuit regarding the treatment of unlawful migrant children.
A portion of the settlement states that whenever the now-defunct Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) takes a juvenile into custody, it must process the child quickly and give the minor notice of rights, including the entitlement to a bail redetermination hearing if one is available.
Following their detention, these children must be held in safe and sanitary facilities, which reflects the INS’s awareness of minors’ unique vulnerability. Facilities will provide access to toilets and sinks as well as drinking water and food, including formula and baby food as needed.
Children are also provided medical assistance if they require emergency services, adequate temperature control and ventilation, adequate supervision to protect them from others, and opportunities for communication with the family members who were apprehended with them.
The Washington Post also stated that the Biden administration is working to resolve a significant shortage of infant formula and cannot be blamed for following the law and providing unlawful migrants with formula.
The White House confirmed on May 12 that they are taking steps to address the issue.
In part, the administration is requesting that the Federal Trade Commission crackdown on profiteering and ensure parents can utilize federal benefits to buy a greater variety of formula products through WIC. This program helps moms, babies, and children of lower-income families purchase food.
The White House is also urging agencies to expand baby formula imports from other countries, which currently account for only about 2% of all formula consumed in the United States.