Washington’s Mayor, in a U-Turn, Begs for Federal Action To Stem the Tide of Migrants Being Bused Up From the Border

In 2016, only days after President Trump was elected, Washington’s Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser, declared the nation’s capital to be a “sanctuary city” for refugees coming to America from around the world.“The values, laws, and policies of Washington, D.C., did not change on Election Day,” she declared. “We celebrate our diversity and respect all DC residents no matter their immigration status.”It was a refrain she repeated throughout the Trump presidency. When Mr. Trump, as president, threatened to cut off federal funding to the growing number of sanctuary cities pledging to limit their cooperation with immigration authorities, she doubled down and said the District of Columbia’s sanctuary status made it a safer place for everyone. What a difference politics and reality make. Fast-forward to 2022, with a Democrat in the White House and record numbers of refugees streaming across America’s southern border, and she’s singing a slightly less enthusiastic tune.In an appearance on CBS’s “Face the Nation” over the weekend, Ms. Bowser lamented that busloads of asylum-seekers have been showing up at Washington for months after Republican governors in the southwest border region began offering them free trips north to ease some of the pressure in the south.“This is a very significant issue,” Ms. Bower said. “We have, for sure, called on the federal government to work across state lines to prevent people from really being tricked into getting on buses. We think they’re largely asylum seekers who are going to final destinations that are not Washington, D.C.”“We really need a coordinated federal response,” she added.Ms. Bowser was responding to a question about an article in the Washington Post a few days earlier stating that homeless shelters in the city and refugee-support groups have been overwhelmed in recent weeks by the influx of immigrants. Those support groups — some of them backed by funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency — say as many as 15 busloads of refugees are arriving every week.Many of the shelters set up to help them are overwhelmed, the report stated, forcing some to sleep on the floor of Union Station, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol. Why she hasn’t done anything to help these unfortunate persons is unclear.The buses began arriving months ago after Texas’s Republican governor, Greg Abbott, announced that his Department of Emergency Management would begin chartering buses to transport to Washington migrants who had been processed and released by federal authorities at the border.“Thanks to the State of Texas, President Biden will be able to immediately meet the needs of migrants he is allowing to cross our border by busing them to his backyard,” Mr. Abbott said a few weeks later. “The Biden administration’s failed efforts to secure the border are appalling. By busing migrants to Washington, D.C., Texas is sending a clear message: we should not have to bear the burden of the federal government’s inaction to secure the border.”By late June, Texas officials said 90 buses carrying some 3,000 migrants had been sent from the border cities of Eagle Pass and Del Rio in Texas. Taxpayers in Texas have been footing the bill, to the tune of about $5.3 million — or $1,795 per refugee. On Monday, the mayor’s office offered no comment on or clarification of her remarks.

Washington’s Mayor, in a U-Turn, Begs for Federal Action To Stem the Tide of Migrants Being Bused Up From the Border

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