Republican Senator Ted Cruz in a letter sent to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Monday asked the agency to allow a way for people to be able to donate supplies to help detained migrants.
According to The Hill, his letter to Acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan comes amid increased scrutiny of the treatment of migrants in U.S. custody. In the last 30 days, there have been several reports on poor conditions at detention facilities, which provoked a visit from lawmakers to some centers this week.
Cruz asked the agency to establish and publicize a process of accepting donations from charities, faith-based organizations, and non-governmental organizations “to aid individuals in [Customs and Border Protection] custody.”
Cruz in his letter stated that DHS facilities are “at peak or beyond peak capacity,” and praised Congress for approving $4.6 billion in emergency humanitarian aid for the border.
“Many Americans, however, also want to provide more direct and tangible help—they want to donate basic items such as diapers and toothbrushes to children in CBP custody,” he wrote. “Organizations are currently having difficulties making donations because DHS and CBP currently lack procedures to accept their donations.”
Attorneys who visited migrant children being held at a facility in Clint, Texas told The Associated Press last month that children were going weeks without bathing and that they were fed only meals that included uncooked frozen food or rice.
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