WASHINGTON — Including those who’ve arrived at the Vice President’s residence at the Naval Observatory in recent days, Mayor Bowser’s office says since April, more than 9-thousand asylum seekers have landed in D.C., bussed from Texas and Arizona, leading the mayor to declare a state of emergency. The D.C. council will vote today on legislation aimed at supporting them.
THE QUESTION:
What would the actions do?
THE SOURCES:
- Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office
- D.C. Council’s agenda
- The Migrant Services and Supports Emergency Act of 2022
- The Migrant Services and Supports Temporary Act of 2022
WHAT WE FOUND:
First Union Station, the Naval Observatory: people being sent here to D.C. after seeking asylum in southern border states in efforts to send a political message on a national level, but now it’s up to District residents to figure out what to do with them once they step off the bus.
The “Migrant Services and Supports” acts, as set to be introduced Tuesday, would permit the mayor to “establish an office and administer programs to provide time-limited services and supports to recent immigrants to the United States.”
That includes welcome and other reception services; food, clothing, and other necessities; temporary shelter, which may be provided in a congregate setting; medical services, including health insurance; relocation services; cash assistance for food and other necessities, transportation, relocation, and other identified needs; and social and legal services and referrals to external social and legal service programs and providers.
The plan is described as operating separately from the existing homeless support system.
According to Mayor Bowser’s office, the district will allocate $10 million to establish and support the Office of Migrant services, then request federal reimbursement, plus more action from the federal government, like establishing a welcome center at Union Station.
The Mayor’s office says the “vast majority” of people move on to other cities after arriving in D.C.
Attorney General Karl Racine announced last month his office would spend 150 thousand dollars helping local non-profits handle with the migrant situation; they now tell us that money has been used for food, clothing, travel arrangements, know your rights trainings, and more.