The mayor of Washington, DC has requested that the National Guard be activated to assist with the processing of undocumented migrants coming by bus in the district.
Muriel Bowser described the arrival of approximately 4,800 people from the southern border as a “humanitarian disaster” that had reached a “tipping point” in her city.
The bus travels were organized in Texas and Arizona to protest the border policies of the Biden administration.
Border crossings between the United States and Mexico have reached historic levels.
Officials in border states have become increasingly frustrated with what they consider to be the incapacity of the federal government to manage the problem.
In April, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, one of the most strident critics of President Joe Biden’s border policy, began offering migrants released from federal custody in his state state-funded bus rides.
A month later, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey stated that the voluntary bus travels were essential due to “little action or assistance from the federal government.”
Both Republican officials had unsuccessfully pressed the Biden administration to maintain a Trump-era policy that permitted the border patrol to deport nearly all undocumented asylum-seekers.
The Biden administration attempted to eliminate the Title 42 policy but was thwarted by the courts. Texas and Arizona have sent over 150 migrant-filled buses to Union Station in Washington, DC, which is adjacent to the US Capitol.
The White House has criticized the Texas busing program as a “publicity stunt.” An investigation by the Dallas-based KXAS television station found that the program has cost Texas taxpayers more than $1,400 per rider.
In letters to the president and his defense secretary, the Democratic mayor of Washington, DC, Muriel Bowser, stated that the National Guard must be activated indefinitely to address a “situation that we expect to escalate.”
She stated, “The rate of arriving buses and the number of arrivals had reached breaking points.”
“With Texas and Arizona promising to continue these heinous operations forever, the situation is severe, and we consider this a humanitarian crisis – one that could overwhelm our social support network if the federal government does not intervene immediately and persistently.”
On Twitter, Governor Ducey said, “Mayor Bowser is bemoaning 4,000 migrants, while Arizona had 43,570 border interactions in June alone.”
Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz stated, “If 4,000 is a tipping point, what the hell do you call the 3.5 million illegal immigrants who have crossed our southern border?”
Migrants arriving in Washington, DC have relied significantly on local mutual help organizations for food, assistance, lodging, and employment.
Some do not remain in the nation’s capital for long, reuniting with family or locating immigration appointments in other U.S. cities.
The District of Columbia is a sanctuary city, one of the several Democratic-led jurisdictions in the country that prohibits cooperation with federal immigration law enforcement.
Last Monday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated that busing programs place a “significant load” on the city’s safety net and shelter system.
