A Republican lawmaker on Thursday said illegal immigrants detained by Border Patrol have access to hard-to-find baby formula, while U.S. parents scramble from store to store.
A post on Twitter by Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida show a photo of empty store shelves in her state alongside a photo of pallets of baby formula that, she says, are at the Ursula Migrant Processing Center in McAllen, Texas.
Dozens of baby formula brands, including Nido and Advantage, can be seen in the photo. Ms. Cammack says the photo was shared with her by a Customs and Border Protection agent who worked in his job for 30 years.
“They are sending pallets, pallets of baby formula to the border. Meanwhile, in our own district at home, we cannot find baby formula,” Ms. Cammack wrote on Twitter.
She urged her constituents to call Democratic leaders and “demand that the administration take action putting the baby formula back on the shelves for American kids.”
Rep. Paul Gosar, Arizona Republican, responded on Twitter, “It’s even worse. Biden regime is sending pallets of baby formula for the exclusive use by illegal aliens. The leftists want illegal aliens comfortable while real Americans mothers search desperately to feed their babies. More America Last.”
Ms. Cammack said that she was told “three more pallets are on their way to the facility.”
It is unclear from the photos whether the formula was purchased off the shelves, or whether it was part of the government’s existing inventory that it maintains to deal with the large number of families and children coming across the border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Washington Times.
The images come as the Biden administration scrambles to address the nationwide shortage of baby formula. President Biden on Thursday has a closed-door meeting with baby food retailers and manufacturers to address the issue.
After the meeting, the White House will announce new steps to tackle the shortage, an administration official said.