According to reports, the US Department of Defense has denied the mayor of Washington’s request for the National Guard to help with the reception of migrants crossing the border. Mayor Muriel Bowser of Washington, DC, had asked federal agencies for National Guards after an influx of undocumented migrants from Arizona and Texas. In recent weeks, migrants from the US-Mexico border have flooded the US.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin turned down the mayor’s request, stating that assistance would ‘negatively impact’ troop readiness. This comes after Texas Governor Greg Abbott placed migrants on buses bound for Washington. The White House warned Abbott this week against ‘meddling’ in federal matters, following the Texas governor’s authorization for state law enforcement officers to detain migrants who had illegally crossed the border from Mexico.
In June, at least 50 undocumented migrants were discovered dead in an abandoned truck near the Texas city of San Antonio, and President Joe Biden blamed the tragedy on ‘criminal’ professional smugglers. The incident was investigated criminally by the US Department of Homeland Security. Migrants from El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, and Guatemala were also discovered inside a tractor-trailer at a highway checkpoint in Laredo, Texas, and at several other locations near Sierra Blanca.
The United States Supreme Court ruled that undocumented migrants do not have the constitutional right to a bond hearing, which would allow them to be released after six months in detention. After being detained for six months, the migrants were granted the right to be heard by a lower court three years ago.
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