Over the past few weeks, Mayor Muriel Bowser has dealt with a rapid influx of migrants coming into DC. While she has had a decent response so far, additional actions can be taken in the coming weeks. 

Republican governors from Arizona and Texas are antagonizing the Biden administration’s relaxed border policy by shipping busloads of migrants to Democratic cities such as DC. Upon receiving nearly 9,400 migrants, Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a state of public emergency. Much like the liberal strongholds of Chicago and New York City, DC is trying to provide shelter and resources for the migrant buses as they arrive; however, city officials were unprepared to handle the influx of people. 

It’s clear that the choice to bus migrants across the country is no more than a political stunt. “It’s creating unnecessary confusion and leaving the asylum-seekers in a really vulnerable place,” said Kennji Kizuka from the New York-based organization Human Rights First. “And it’s all for political show.” These governors have sent families across the country with no regard for their safety.  

This ploy for political capital is putting human beings at risk. According to immigrant advocates, migrating families frequently lack contacts in the cities they relocate to and end up sleeping at bus stops, park benches, homeless shelters, and hotels. Their numbers, which are coming from places like Venezuela, Colombia, and central Africa, are increasing at such exponential rates that in Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser asked the National Guard to be sent to assist in receiving them.

Bowser’s decision to declare a public emergency was the only correct move. This label  provides a $10 million investment in a new Office of Migrant Services in Washington, which will help the city deal with the logistical and legislative impacts of the bussing. City authorities also want a 24/7 police presence at Union Station, where most of the buses are arriving, and the local department of migrant services will assist nonprofits and other organizations who are struggling to greet and assist the migrants coming there. 

While Bowser has made the best of a bad situation, there is still one more step the Mayor can take: signing off on the Local Resident Voting Rights Amendment Act of 2022, which would grant green card holders and undocumented immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections beginning in 2024. This would ensure that the district represents its new residents. Bowser has done an admirable job of receiving the migrants, but additional steps are needed to make our city a place for everyone. •