"We’re very focused and continue to be focused on having the federal government do its part and take the lead in what we see as a growing humanitarian crisis with people who are seeking asylum coming across the country to get onto their final destinations," Bowser said at a press conference on Thursday. "I’ve also asked the Secretary of the Army to deploy the DC national guard."
The governors of Texas and Arizona four months ago ordered undocumented migrants to be transported to Washington and New York City. In a letter to the Pentagon earlier this month on behalf of Bowser, DC's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director, Christopher Rodriguez said the nation’s capital since then has encountered over 4,000 individuals on nearly 200 buses.
Bowser said at the press conference that she expects the number of migrants ending up in the nation’s capital to grow.
"I know the federal government does this – I’ve seen the response with Afghans and Ukrainians. It is a robust federal response that helps people with transportation onto their final destinations, even giving them a legal route to work, to a work permit," she added.
Bowser said a parallel system is needed to address the increasing numbers of people crossing the border seeking asylum.