Texas governor Greg Abbott and the National Border Patrol Council released a joint statement amid a shortage of baby formula in the U.S. A shortage of baby formula in the U.S. exists, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, due to contaminated product and supply chain issues.
The Texas governor took the opportunity to attack the Biden administration on the subject over providing baby formula to baby immigrants at U.S. holding facilities. The statement reads,
“Children are our most vulnerable, precious Texans and deserve to be put first. Yet, President Biden has turned a blind eye to parents across America who are facing the nightmare of a nationwide baby formula shortage. While mothers and fathers stare at empty grocery store shelves in a panic, the Biden Administration is happy to provide baby formula to illegal immigrants coming across our southern border. This is yet another one in a long line of reckless, out-of-touch priorities from the Biden Administration when it comes to securing our border and protecting Americans. Our children deserve a president who puts their needs and survival first – not one who gives critical supplies to illegal immigrants before the very people he took an oath to serve.”
The joint statement is an example of the reactionary, nationalist tendencies of U.S. politicians to deflect the inadequacies of the capitalist system onto immigrants. Rather than criticizing the capitalist organization of production which enriches the oligarchs, Abbott and other politicians prefer to attack immigrants who face a two-fold discrimination. Firstly, these immigrants provide a source of surplus value to the capitalists due to their legal status and their ability to work hard and produce value while receiving low wages. Secondly, they can be used as scapegoats for nationalist, chauvinist sentiment which benefits the class of oligarchs: the capitalists.