By Mona Austin
(The Slice): DC Mayor Muriel Bowser has called on the National Guard to respond to a growing humanitarian crisis in the city -- the influx of migrants being transported from Southern border states Bowser wrote letters to the White House and the Pentagon requesting that the National Guard intervene and that the DC Amory is used as a processing site. More than 150 buses have arrived over the past 3 months. While DC has been dubbed a sanctuary city for years and that designation has not changed, the mayor says the flood of migrants has gotten out of hand and will only worsen.
In a press conference Mayor Bowser said, "We need the federal government to be involved, so I've asked for the deployment of the Guard as long as we need the Guard. . .The number of people crossing the border seeking asylum, we expect to only go up."
In the letter Bowser wrote, “The pace of arriving buses and the volume of arrivals have reached tipping points. Our collective response and service efforts have now become overwhelmed. … Tragically, many families arrive in Washington, DC with nowhere to go, or they remain in limbo seeking onward destinations across the United States."
At the behest of Texas governor Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Doucy following his lead, over 150 buses filled with homeless migrants are in DC adding to the already existing homeless situation. According to Abbott, Texas , the largest state in the country also receives the largest number of immigrants. Abbott feels justified in starting the "Operation Lone Star" purge, claiming Biden isn't following immigration policies and enforcing the law. As he has bused migrants out of his state, several others have seen an immigration surge.
“One thing we have found with the implementation of Operation Lone Star is it has shifted cartel activity to New Mexico to Arizona, to California. … With every day that Texas has success, it may mean failure for some other state. That means failure for the United States of America.”
DC and New York are both in that number.
Abbott has handed off the problem to other stated. Between Texas and Arizona alone, nearly 4800 migrants have been bused to the US Capital since mid-April. Abott said he wants Biden to feel the same consequences he feels and to come to grips with his failed immigration practices
This is the second time Bowser and the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management have sought help from the White House and DOD. Initially letters were sent to President Joe Biden and the Office of the Secretary of Defense on July 19. There mayor's office has yet to receive a response.
Reporters have been pressing the White House on what the Biden Administration will do the address this issue in both DC and New York.
Following is an exchange between Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre and a reporter from the press briefing on July 20:
Q: The mayors of New York City and D.C. are calling for more federal resources to assist with asylum seekers who are being bused to those cities from Texas and Arizona. They've had thousands of people arriving over the past couple of weeks. Mayor Bowser, here in D.C., said that these people are being “tricked.” What federal resources is the White House preparing, if any, to deliver to these cities and other cities that are now dealing with an increase of asylum seekers?
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: So, I can tell you, Karen, that we have been in touch with both of their -- both of their administrations, both of their offices. And we're going to continue to look into their requests.
I just -- I don't have further than that to share. But we have been in touch with Mayor Bowser's office and we have been in touch with Mayor Adams’s office.
Q And there could be resources that can be given to --
MS. JEAN-PIERRE: Right now, I can tell you that FEMA is the lead agency on this. And so I would -- I would point you to them on -- on any more information or details that they can provide."
Because the asylum-seekers are being transported nearly 2000 miles away from their destination, Bowser claimed in the letter that they are being "tricked."
As of this reporting Mayor's office has not gotten a definitive response to her letters. The Slice will provide further details as this story develops.
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