Washington, D.C. Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested help from the National Guard to handle the influx of illegal migrants — and so far, the Pentagon has refused her request twice.
The Department of Defense issued a letter to Bowser on Monday, saying that the National Guard was not equipped to care for migrants and that the armory located in the nation’s capital was not an acceptable housing option due to the fact that it was not air-conditioned.
The Pentagon has rejected a second request from District of Columbia Mayor Muriel Bowser for the deployment of the D.C. National Guard to help receive and shelter migrants bused into the city from states like Texas and Arizona. https://t.co/Gry56JFS2e
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 23, 2022
“The DC National Guard has no specific experience in or training for this kind of mission or unique skills for providing facility management, feeding, sanitation, or ground support,” the letter stated.
Bowser’s requests come on the heels of a new policy adopted by Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott, which involves busing illegal migrants from border states like Texas and Arizona to self-proclaimed “sanctuary” cities like New York City and Washington, D.C.
“The Biden administration and a lot of leaders in Congress have no idea about the chaos they have caused by their open border policies,” Abbott said in April. “And if they’re not going to come to the border, I’m going to take the border to them in Washington, D.C.”
Her first request for aid was rebuffed by the Defense Department, based on the claim that sending National Guard members to manage the influx of migrants would have a negative impact on overall troop readiness.
Bowser also asked that the National Guard be made available to assist the non-governmental organization SAMU First Response “with transportation and reception of migrants arriving in the DC area” — but the Pentagon determined that the assistance coming from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should be sufficient.
Bowser sent a second request, asking for limited aid from the National Guard for a period of 90 days — but the Pentagon rejected that request as well.
“In contrast to the civilian-led approaches to migrant reception mentioned above, use of DCNG personnel would be inappropriate to the task, regardless of the duration or number of personnel involved,” the letter stated, noting that even a limited 90-day mission could disrupt or even cancel plans for training exercises that were already scheduled in the coming months.
Abbott responded to the news, saying, “The federal government denied Mayor Bowser’s second request for help because they deny the reality of Biden’s border crisis. DC is experiencing a fraction of what Texas faces every day. Texas will continue securing the border until Biden does his job.”
Congressman Pat Fallon (R-TX) added, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Mayor Bowser is getting a taste of what every border community in Texas is experiencing. Her hypocrisy is laughable.”
You can't have your cake and eat it too. Mayor Bowser is getting a taste of what every border community in Texas is experiencing.
Her hypocrisy is laughable.https://t.co/Yp74xMPm9k
— Rep. Pat Fallon (@RepPatFallon) August 23, 2022