Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public emergency for the metro area Thursday, as a countermeasure to the governors of Arizona and Texas busing migrants to the nation's capital.
With the emergency declaration, Bowser has the power to establish a new department — the Office of Migrant Services — which can provide up to $10 million worth of services to incoming migrants, according to Politico.
"We are staying true to our D.C. values and building a system that will support a compassionate, consistent, and well-coordinated response," Bowser said in a statement.
Bowser also said her office would "seek reimbursement from the federal government" for investing the $10 million in migrant services.
As part of this process, D.C. officials will reportedly help displaced migrants move to destinations outside the metro area. Bowser's office will also create a separate system to coordinate Washington's response, according to the statement.
Since April, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, both Republicans, have bused thousands of migrants to New York City, Chicago and Washington, D.C., all of which are categorized as "sanctuary" cities, where the municipal laws tend to protect immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally from deportation or prosecution, despite federal immigration law.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, and Mayor Bowser for D.C. — all Democrats — each condemned the moves of the Texas and Arizona governors, characterizing it as a "political stunt."
On Thursday, Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, said the big-city mayors deserve a dose of reality, while the states the along the U.S-Mexico border deal with 17 consecutive months of more than 150,000 unlawful crossings.
"I think whatever can get under the skin of these left-wing, woke mayors works just fine," Babin told Newsmax on Thursday evening while appearing on "Spicer & Co." with hosts Sean Spicer and Lyndsay Keith.
Instead of "bad-mouthing"Abbott, though, Babin says Adams, Lightfoot and Bowser should be calling the White House and demanding, "Mr. President [Joe Biden], start doing your job!"
"The [migrants] are coming because of your policies," explained Babin, who laments the monthly surge of migrants at the southern border as one of the "most dangerous things I've ever seen" in politics.
"It's an absolute invasion, and a border invasion is national security," Babin said.
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