On Sunday, Washington, D.C.’s Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser admitted that the capital city is overwhelmed by an influx of illegal immigrants who are being bused in from the U.S.-Mexico border. New York City’s Democrat Mayor Eric Adams later echoed Bowser’s frustrations. Texas and Arizona started busing illegal immigrants to D.C. earlier this year in an effort to alleviate the strain border communities are feeling due to the mass influx of migrants across the Southern border.
During an appearance on CBS’ “Face the Nation,” Bowser said the influx of illegal immigrants is “a very significant issue” and suggested the illegal immigrants are being “tricked” into traveling to D.C.
“Well, this is a very significant issue. 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.,” Bowser said. “I worked with the White House to make sure that FEMA provided a grant to a local organization that is providing services to folks.”
“I fear that they’re being tricked into nationwide bus trips when their final destinations are places all over the United States of America,” she added.
Bowser called on the Biden administration to implement a “coordinated federal response” to handle the illegal immigrants pouring into the U.S.
“Local taxpayers are not picking up the tab. They should not pick up the tab. We really need a coordinated federal response. We know that it’s done for refugees who come to the states from all points of the world and the same has to be done in the situation,” Bowser said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, also called for federal assistance to help handle the arrival of so-called “asylum seekers.”
“Currently, New York City is experiencing a marked increase in the number of asylum seekers who are arriving from Latin America and other regions. In some instances, families are arriving on buses sent by the Texas and Arizona governments, while in other cases, it appears that individuals are being sent by the federal government,” Adams said in a statement, ABC 7 reported.
“In order to both meet the legal mandate as a right-to-shelter city and provide high-quality shelter and services for those who enter our system, New York City needs additional federal resources immediately.”
In April, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott vowed to keep busing illegal immigrants to Washington, D.C.
“We will continue the busing process every single day for the reason that I think you mentioned earlier on, and that is the Biden administration has been dumping off these migrants by the hundreds in local communities that do not have the ability to take care of or deal with these migrants that are being dropped off,” Abbott said during an appearance on Fox News.
“If Biden will not come to the border, we’re sending the border to Biden and his administration so that they can begin to grapple with the challenges that we’re dealing with,” he said, adding, “But also, we will be looking for other locations like Delaware, Biden’s home state. … The people in Delaware are going to see what the people in Texas are having to grapple with.”
The Biden administration has already broken last year’s record of illegal immigrant apprehensions, reaching 1,746,119 with three months still to go in FY22, U.S. Customs and Border Protection data revealed.
