For the second time, the Pentagon denied a request on Monday by Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser to activate the Nationwide Guard to help with hundreds of migrants who’ve been arriving within the nation’s capital in latest months.
Bowser first requested for Nationwide Guard assist final month, nevertheless it was rejected by the Pentagon on Aug. 4. She then despatched one other letter on Aug. 11, requesting that 150 Nationwide Guard troops be deployed to “assist forestall a chronic humanitarian disaster in our nation’s capital ensuing from the day by day arrival of migrants.”
Protection Division government secretary Kelly Bulliner Holly wrote in a letter to Bowser on Monday that the DC Nationwide Guard is just not skilled to help migrants and activation would result in “diminished readiness” for the troops.
“The DCNG has no particular expertise in or coaching for this sort of mission or distinctive abilities for offering facility administration, feeding, sanitation or floor help,” Holly wrote within the letter, which was reviewed by Fox Information.
“Approval of this request would additionally end in a considerable readiness influence to the DCNG,” Holly continued. “Devoting the personnel or the power for such an prolonged mission would drive the cancellation or disruption of navy coaching.”
About 7,000 migrants have been bused from Texas to Washington, DC, since April and one other 900 have arrived in New York Metropolis, in keeping with Gov. Greg Abbott’s workplace.
“Earlier than we started busing migrants to New York, it was simply Texas and Arizona that bore the brunt of all of the chaos and issues that include it,” Abbott mentioned Friday. “Now, the remainder of America can perceive precisely what’s going on.”
Bowser referred to as the busing of migrants on Monday a “politically motivated stunt.”
“We wrestle with a damaged immigration system in our nation, and we all know that cities alone can not repair it,” Bowser tweeted. “We’ll proceed working with federal companions and native NGOs on the easiest way to arrange programs that enable us to handle an ongoing humanitarian disaster.”
Texas launched Operation Lone Star to cope with the inflow of migrants throughout the southern border in March 2021.
Since then, Texas legislation enforcement officers have apprehended practically 300,000 migrants and seized 326 million deadly doses of fentanyl, Abbott mentioned.
The Pentagon additionally cited the work of a number of non-government organizations and civilian teams in helping with the arrival of migrants.
Bowser’s workplace didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon Monday.
