WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon rejected a request from the District of Columbia seeking National Guard assistance in what the mayor has called a "growing humanitarian crisis" prompted by thousands of migrants being bused to the city from two southern states.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin declined to provide Guard personnel and the use of the D.C. Armory to assist with the reception of migrants into the city, according to U.S. defense officials.
One official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a decision not yet made public, said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s food and shelter program has provided funding for the problem, and has indicated those funds are sufficient.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser formally asked the White House last month for an open-ended deployment of 150 National Guard members per day as well as a "suitable federal location" for a mass housing and processing center, mentioning the D.C. Armory as a logical candidate.
The crisis began in spring when Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey announced plans to send busloads of migrants to Washington, D.C., in response to President Joe Biden's decision to lift a pandemic-era emergency health order that restricted migrant entry numbers.
Since then the city estimates that as many as 200 buses have arrived, delivering more than 4,000 migrants to Union Station, often with no resources and no clue what to do next.
A coalition of local charitable groups has been working to feed and shelter the migrants, aided by a $1 million grant from FEMA. But organizers have been warning that both their resources and personnel were nearing exhaustion.
"This reliance on NGOs is not working and is unsustainable — they are overwhelmed and underfunded," Bowser said in her letter. She has repeatedly stated that the influx is stressing her government's ability to care for its own homeless residents and now requires a federal response.
Bowser sharply criticized Abbott and Ducey, accusing them of "cruel political gamesmanship" and saying the pair had "decided to use desperate people to score political points."
The mayor does not have the authority to personally order a National Guard deployment, an issue that has become emotionally charged in recent years as a symbol of the district's entrenched status as less than a state.
Her limited authority played a role in the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump. When it became clear that Capitol Police were overmatched by the crowds, Bowser couldn't immediately deploy the district guard. Instead, crucial time was lost while the request was considered inside the Pentagon, and protesters rampaged through the building.
- National Guard dismisses two men after investigating their membership of a religious group linked to white supremacists
- European money spawns more misery for migrants in Libya
- Transcript: Correspondents Panel on "Face the Nation," December 29, 2019
- The flu shot saves lives. Why aren't migrants in US custody vaccinated?
- Why is Hungary withholding food from migrants in its border zones?
- Protesters burn security post at U.S. Embassy in Iraq; Pentagon sending additional troops to region
- Judge blocks Trump from denying asylum to migrants entering US illegally
- Protesters burn security post at U.S. Embassy in Iraq; Pentagon sending more troops to region
- Odds stacked heavily against Saigon slums' migrant kids
- Brussels calls on Germany to take children from Greek migrants camps
- Brussels calls on Germany to take children from Greek migrant camps
- Business is still booming for lorry death people smugglers: How the region of Vietnam where 39 migrants began their journey before being found dead in Essex is still full of people willing to risk their lives on perilous journeys
- The Pentagon says it expects MORE attacks on Baghdad embassy by Iran-backed militias and warns the US is ready to take 'pre-emptive' action to defend itself as more troops deploy
- Migrant Family Rescued in Arizona Desert on Christmas Eve
- Norse pagan Army Guard soldier, 34, is the first ever allowed to serve with a beard after he argued his beliefs say it's sacred and defines masculinity
- Italy's Salvini looks to avoid trial over migrant standoff
- British-Iranian mother jailed for 'spying' in Tehran has bid for early release denied as her family prepare for another Christmas without her
- Two US National Guardsmen Dismissed Over Links to White Supremacist Pagan Group
- Rebecca Grant: Which Dem presidential candidate can best handle foreign and national security policy?
- Moscow Says Germany Asked Help in Probing Berlin Murder Case After Expelling Diplomats
Pentagon denies D.C. request for National Guard migrant help have 744 words, post on www.chron.com at August 5, 2022. This is cached page on Travel News. If you want remove this page, please contact us.