Pentagon Denies DC Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Second Plea for the National Guard to Be Deployed to Deal With Huge Influx of Migrants

The Pentagon has denied a second request by Washington DC’s mayor to help receive migrants arriving from Republican-led states Texas and Arizona.

Mayor Muriel Bowser in July called for the deployment of the District of Columbia National Guard to help with migrants describing it as a ‘humanitarian crisis’.

Bowser asked for 90-day deployment and for a review at the end of that period, but the request was denied by the U.S. military.

She repeated her request on August 11 – this time providing a specific 90-day timeline that would begin on August 22.

In a letter sent to Bowser, the Pentagon citing several reasons for not agreeing to the request including the D.C. National Guard not have any specific training or experience in providing facility management for such a mission that would include feeding, sanitation, or ground support to migrants.

The letter added that it would have a ‘substantial’ impact on the readiness of the troops in D.C.

In her request, Bowser said most of the migrants bused to D.C. don’t stay in the area, and only need assistance for about 72 hours.

U.S. military officials have privately said for the past few years that they are being used for tasks that should be done by civilian agencies and troops should only be used as a last-resort for domestic issues.

The mayor’s initial request had frustrated some White House officials who thought Bowser, a Democrat, could handle the issue without military troops and was playing into Republican political attacks on President Joe Biden, a fellow Democrat.

Washington is not a U.S. state or part of one, so the authority to summon National Guard troops rests with the U.S. military.

The state of Texas, led by Republican Governor Greg Abbott, has bused more than 7,500 migrants, as of Monday, to Washington, D.C. on more than 175 busloads.

The vast majority of those arriving in Washington – some 85-90% – continue to other U.S. destinations within hours or days, according to volunteers.

Governor Abbott has also sent more than 1,000 migrants from Texas to New York City as part of his initiative to bus illegal immigrants released from custody out of his state.

Abbott’s spokeswoman Renae Eze told DailyMail.com that 20 buses have departed from Texas for the Big Apple so far – with more to come.

Images are emerging weekly of more buses arriving at Port Authority in New York City with migrants disembarking following their trip from the Lone Star State.

While another bus full of migrants arrived in New York City on Sunday, other migrants, some who were previously bussed from Texas, lined up outside Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx to receive health care coverage, food and other items.

Among the items migrants received according to the New York Post, were school supplies and free phones.

The now 1,000 plus migrants who have descended on the city voluntarily took the trek north, Abbott’s office claims.

They are part of an initiative started in mid-April to send migrants to Washington, D.C. and New York City to help quell the southern border crisis’ effect on border communities. An additional aim is to bring the crisis to the doorsteps of decision makers in America.

In total, more than 4,000 migrants have already arrived in the five boroughs in recent weeks, putting strain on the already overburdened shelter system.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey followed Abbott’s example in May by starting to send migrants who illegally crossed into his state to the nation’s capital. The state has sent about 1,500.

Mayors Eric Adams of NYC and Muriel Bowser of D.C. are denouncing the program.

Migrants arriving in New York City are being welcomed with open arms, as bystanders stand outside Port Authority with signs and goodie bags.

Migrants arriving in New York City from the border will be housed temporarily on taxpayers dime at the $700-a-night luxury The Row in the tourist hotspot of Times Square in coming weeks.

While the migrants will be assigned to ring-fenced floors and told to use a separate entrance than tourists being charged top dollar to stay there, they will still enjoy the luxury of the hotel.

When President Biden entered office in January 2021 promising to reverse many of the anti-immigration policies of his Republican predecessor, former President Donald Trump, but some efforts have been held up in legal fights.

Biden is still trying to end Title 42, a Trump-era Covid policy that saw migrants deported straight back to Mexico, but a judge has ordered the president to continue enforcing it.

U.S. border guards have made record numbers of arrests under Biden, including many repeat crossers.

Some migrants who could not be deported quickly to Mexico or their home countries under Title 42 are permitted into the U.S., often to pursue asylum claims in immigration courts.