Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has requested that military troops be deployed to help with what is being called a "humanitarian crisis" in the city after authorities in Texas and Arizona have been sending migrants by bus into D.C. for months now.
Mayor Bowser now says at least 4,000 migrants have arrived so far by bus into the city and says the situation has now reached a "tipping point," NBC Washington reported.
Earlier this year, Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that his state would begin chartering buses to send migrants to Washington and other "sanctuary cities."
Mayor Bowser sent a letter to the office of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin, dated July 19, along with an additional letter to the White House on July 22 requesting National Guard troops to help, Reuters reported.
A Department of Defense spokesperson told NBC Washington that they could not comment on the matter but that the department had received the mayor's letter.
The spokesperson said, "The Secretary takes this request for assistance very seriously. He and his team are working through the details and will respond to the mayor’s office as soon as a decision has been reached."
