DC Mayor Bowser renews call for DC National Guard assistance amid influx of migrants



Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, is asking for the D.C. National Guard to be deployed to help the city contend with the influx of migrants arriving in the region, a request that comes after the city's prior request for D.C. National Guard assistance was denied.

"The District of Columbia writes to provide additional information to support our July 19 request to deploy the DC National Guard (DCNG) to help prevent a prolonged humanitarian crisis in our nation's capital resulting from the daily arrival of migrants in need of assistance," Bowser wrote in an August 11 letter to U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

\u201cWe need help from our federal partners as we seek to stabilize and manage our operating environment in this critical moment.\n\nI have been honored to work with the men and women of the DC National Guard many times and today we renewed our request for their assistance.\u201d
— Mayor Muriel Bowser (@Mayor Muriel Bowser) 1660253923

Month after month the nation's southern border is inundated by massive flows of migrants coming into the country.

But some migrants have been heading to D.C. from the states of Texas and Arizona, where the states' Republican governors have been busing migrants who voluntarily take the trip.

In a letter last month, Christopher Rodriguez, the director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency, requested the help of the D.C. National Guard on behalf of Mayor Bowser. The letter declared that "the Governors of Texas and Arizona are making a political statement to the federal government, and instead, their actions are having direct impacts on city and regional resources in ways that are unsustainable."

\u201c9 days since @MayorBowser requested @SecDef @ @POTUS activate @DCNationalGuard DC has received no answer. @nbcwashington\u201d
— Mark Segraves (@Mark Segraves) 1659025732

That request was later rebuffed by the Defense Department, which is why Bowser is now trying again.

In the new letter requesting the D.C. National Guard, Bowser wrote that, "our hope is that the DCNG can aid in strengthening local efforts beginning August 22 and extending for the next 90 days. We need help from our federal partners as we seek to stabilize and manage our operating environment in this critical moment."

Mayor Bowser Appears Maskless At Birthday Party Hours Before Implementing Mask Mandate

Photos uploaded to social media appear to show Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser celebrating her birthday maskless hours before her mask mandate went into effect for the District. “When your [sic] asked to Dj for the Mayor!!! Happy Birthday @mayor_bowser,” read the caption of a since-deleted Instagram post, featuring a maskless Bowser at a large […]

DC Democratic mayor caught partying without face mask after enacting new mask mandate



When Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) of Washington, D.C., announced this week she was enacting a face mask mandate in the nation's capital, questions immediately arose over why the mandate would not take effect until days later.

After all, if COVID-19 transmission is serious enough to warrant another face mask mandate, should it not take effect immediately?

That question may have found its answer Friday night.

What is the background?

Bowser announced Thursday that people in the nation's capital, regardless of vaccination status, would be required to wear face masks indoors beginning 5 a.m. Saturday.

"We will continue to do what is necessary to keep D.C. safe," Bowser said. She did not explain why the mandate would take effect two days after her announcement.

What may explain the gap?

Photos surfaced on Saturday purportedly showing Bowser celebrating her birthday, which is Aug. 2. The photos show attendees, including the mayor and comedian Dave Chappelle, not wearing face masks.

The DJ who allegedly worked the celebration posted a photo on Instagram showing the maskless crowd. "When your asked to Dj for the Mayor!!! Happy Birthday @mayor_bowser," the DJ captioned the now-deleted photo.

Another photo showed Bowser and Deputy Mayor John Falcicchio posing with Chappelle.

Muriel Bowser mask mandate started at 5AM this morning.(h/t @BradEngle for the birthday party pic) https://t.co/bLAtlmTftk

— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) 1627739470.0

Bowser's decision not to wear a face mask directly put the health of others at risk, at least according to her own COVID-19 face mask guidance. "Choosing not to wear a mask puts your own health as well as the health of others at risk," the DC face mask guidance states.

The guidance also states, "A mask is not a substitute for physical distancing." As the photos show, Bowser did not follow that directive, either.