After the arrival of thousands of illegal migrants that are being bused in from Texas and Arizona overwhelmed Washington DC’s resources, the city’s mayor Muriel Bowser appealed to the Pentagon and the White House for National Guard aid to deal with the issue.
The assistance of the National Guard was first requested in July 19 letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin while Bowser then addressed the second letter, sent on July 22, to the White House.
In the letter to Austin, Bowser complained that over 4,000 migrants had arrived in the district as of mid-July after Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and Texas Governor Greg Abbott followed through with their threat to start sending to the nation’s capital the illegal migrants caught crossing the US border.
She requested 150 DC National Guard personnel per day to cover a 24/7 operation and transportation that would shuttle migrants to some suitable federal location in the National Capital Region: the DC Armory, Fort McNair, or Joint Base Bolling.
Stressing that Washington DC’s collective response and service efforts have become overwhelmed, the homeless services system is already under great strain and the regional welcome center that was established in Montgomery County, Maryland is at capacity, Bowser underscored that the pace of arriving buses and the volume of arrivals have reached tipping points.
Reiterating the demand for National Guard’s help in the second letter, mayor Bowser emphasized that the Governors of Texas and Arizona’s cruel political gamesmanship must be dealt with at the federal level since their actions are having direct impacts on the city and regional resources in unsustainable ways.
She also said the district will help migrants seeking asylum in the US by using $1 million in federal emergency grants.
According to NBC affiliate WRC-TV, which posted the text of both. mayor Bowser has yet to receive a response to either letter.
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