The White House on Thursday accused Republican governors of using illegal immigrants as a “political pawn” as Washington, D.C., strains from scores of illegal immigrants being bused in from red border states.
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser requested National Guard assistance to manage the more than 4,000 migrants she says have been bused to the city from Texas and Arizona.
In a July 22 letter to the White House, Ms. Bowser said the flood of migrants was a result of “cruel political gamesmanship” by Republican Govs, Greg Abbot and Doug Ducey, of Texas and Arizona respectively.
“Our ability to assist people in need at this scale is very limited. Instead of rolling up their sleeves and working with the Biden/Harris Administration on a real solution, Governors Abbot and Ducey have decided to use desperate people to score political points,” Ms. Bowser wrote.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House has been in “regular touch” with Ms. Bowser and her team, but would not weigh in on whether the National Guard would be activated as requested, and referred questions to the Pentagon.
But she echoed Ms. Bowser’s comments, calling the Republican governors’ tactics “shameful.”
“They are sending migrants to big cities on purpose using them as a political ploy,” she said. “Republicans are using migrants as a political tool. That is shameful and that is just wrong.”
“There is a legal process in place and they should follow it,” she said.
