Despite her initial request being denied by the Pentagon and reportedly causing friction with the White House, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) renewed her call for the DC National Guard to provide assistance with the influx of immigrants being bussed in from Texas.

According to The Hill:

“I have been honored to work with the men and women of the D.C. National Guard many times and today we renewed our request for their assistance,” Bowser announced over Twitter.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin turned down Bowser’s initial request last week after determining that “providing this support would negatively impact the readiness of the DCNG and have negative effects on the organization and members.”

Bowser’s request was prompted by buses of migrants arriving in D.C. from Texas and Arizona, a program begun by Republican Govs. Greg Abbott and Doug Ducey in protest of President Biden’s border policies.

In the renewal, Bowser clarified that her previously “open-ended” request for assistance would begin August 22 and be reevaluated at the beginning of December.

The DCNG would work with the D.C. government “to help prevent a prolonged humanitarian crisis in our nation’s capital resulting from the daily arrival of migrants in need of assistance” by establishing and managing “respite sites.”

These sites provide migrants with support as they travel to a final destination, often outside of D.C.

Read more at The Hill.

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