On Monday, the Pentagon denied a second request by Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser to activate the National Guard to assist with thousands of migrants who have been bused into the nation's capital in recent months.
Bowser first asked for National Guard help last month, but was rejected.
Texas has reportedly sent some 7,000 migrants to D.C. since April.
On August 11, Bowser asked for 150 National Guard troops be deployed to "help prevent a prolonged humanitarian crisis in our nation's capital resulting from the daily arrival of migrants."
Defense Department executive secretary Kelly Bulliner Holly wrote in a letter to Bowser on Monday that the D.C. National Guard is not trained to assist migrants and activation would lead to "diminished readiness" for the troops.
“Devoting the personnel or the facility for such an extended mission would force the cancellation or disruption of military training,” Holly said.
Related: D.C. Gets a Taste of the Border As Migrants Flood the City
In July the mayor claimed the “pace of arriving buses and the volume of arrivals have reached tipping points.”
In past years Bowser has proudly reaffirmed DC’s sanctuary city status and celebrated immigration. “We celebrate those who are seeking citizenships - and those who are not,” she said at a city event in June of 2019.
H/T National Review
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