Vanessa Cardenas: “Now babies need to pay the price of Republican cruelty”
Washington, DC – The latest example of right wing and Republicans’ effort to “blame the immigrants” is a classic example of how they rely on nativism and strategic racism to gin up fake controversies. In this case, their focus on how immigrant babies in U.S. government custody are receiving baby formula during a time of global supply shortages doubles as a revealing reflection of the current vile and emboldened views of the GOP and the right wing bubble.
As Stephen Miller recently tweeted, “How many American Parents couldn’t feed their children, or were forced to use a formula their infants couldn’t tolerate, because Biden was diverting scarce formula to subsidize mass illegal immigration through our open border?” Miller’s fact-free description and script was matched by an array of right wing mouthpieces and Republican elected officials and candidates. Read today’s Washington Post Plum Line Blog and also fact checker Glenn Kessler’s piece, “The faux outrage that Biden is stockpiling baby formula for undocumented immigrants,” for more on this latest right wing fake controversy and its roots and backstory.
The following is a statement from Vanessa Cárdenas, Deputy Director of America’s Voice:
Now babies need to pay the price of Republican cruelty. To all the Republicans and right wing commentators ranting about immigrant infants and baby formula, please finish your thoughts. You want these babies to starve? You think America shouldn’t care for children in its care? You want to pin blame for shortages due to the global supply chain at the feet of babies and migrant families? Please explain.
This is such a revealing and vile example of what is wrong with today’s GOP and their right wing echo chamber. They rely on an endless supply of fake controversies and disinformation underpinned by strategic racism, to divide Americans along racial lines, stoke fear, and incite blame against immigrants.
But let’s be clear, this isn’t because they are concerned about baby formula; this is about their quest for political power and to advance an extremist agenda. As their GOP policy blueprint laid out, they want America to turn its back to immigrants, turn its back to refugees, and now turn its back to babies in need. That is who the GOP is.”
