Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security on Monday asking them to create a process to allow people to donate items to migrants being held in detention.
Cruz wrote an open letter to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan, asking him to “establish and publicize a process for accepting donations from charitable organizations, faith-based organizations, and [nongovernmental organizations] to aid individuals in [U.S. Customs and Border Patrol] custody.”
"Even with the additional supplemental emergency funding, I am confident that DHS and CBP can still use the generosity of the American people to help manage the humanitarian crisis on our border," Cruz wrote.
Texas state Rep. Terry Canales, a Democrat, attempted to donate items to a detention center in Texas, but was told by a Border Patrol representative, “We don’t accept donations.”
“These kids are being underserved, and they’re not getting what they need,” Canales told the Texas Tribune. “We discussed diapers, hygiene products, and I pressed upon him that from a PR perspective that it looks terrible we’re not meeting their needs and they’re not accepting donations from the public.
“He, to some extent, agreed with me and said he would get back with me and see how we can collaborate,” he said. “So the lines of communication are open.”
Cruz wrote that he’d heard of people trying to donate items and being refused, though he didn’t mention Canales by name.
"This desire is laudable," the senator wrote. "But I understand that many of these organizations are currently having difficulties making donations because DHS and CBP currently lack procedures to accept their donations."
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.