Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser renewed her request for help from the U.S. military to deal with an influx of illegal immigrants being bused to the U.S. capital from the southern border.
The District of Columbia National Guard was needed, she said, “to help prevent a prolonged humanitarian crisis in our nation’s capital resulting from the daily arrival of migrants in need of assistance.”
The Democratic mayor’s initial July request for National Guard assistance was rejected by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Aug. 5.
Previously, Bowser requested assistance with no end date, a request the Defense Secretary said was too broad and would impact “mission readiness.” Her first request was rejected because “we have determined providing this support would negatively impact the readiness of the DCNG [DC National Guard] and have negative effects on the organization and members,” a spokesperson for Austin said in a statement.
