Demand that Mayor Bowser Support Migrants Being Bused to DC
Since April 13th, Governor Greg Abbott has been busing asylum seekers from the Texas border to DC as part of a racist publicity stunt. In May, Governor Ducey joined in and started busing people from Arizona too. Since then close to 4,000 migrants from Texas and over 1,000 from Arizona have arrived in DC. For over three months, DMV organizers and volunteers showed up every single day to support our new neighbors with NO support from the DC government. Last week, mutual aid organizers took two days off to rest, quarantine due to COVID exposure, and protest government inaction. Unfortunately, without mutual aid, many of the migrants, including families with children, were left stranded at Union Station until we were able to return. The absence of mutual aid led the media to finally take notice and the DC Council to send a letter to the mayor asking her to use the $500 million FY22 budget surplus to support migrants being bused here.
In response to the letter and media attention, Bowser went on TV and said she doesn't think it is DC’s responsibility to support these migrants, a sentiment that stands in stark contrast to DC’s status as a sanctuary city. She also claimed that DC taxpayers have not picked up the tab for this at all— but mutual aid has spent over $280k since April, donated by DC residents, who pay taxes. It's the DC government who has yet to contribute. Join us and take five minutes today to call, email, and tweet at Mayor Bowser to demand that she step up and support our new neighbors NOW! Also, volunteer and donate here.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Mayor Muriel Bowser | eom@dc.gov | (202) 727-2643
Script for Phone Calls
Hi, my name is _____ and I am reaching out to you to ask you to take action to support migrants being bused to DC now! [For DC residents: I have lived in DC for __ years and this issue is deeply important to me]
Since April, the DMV community has been welcoming migrants arriving on buses with NO help from the DC government. The community has welcomed close to 4,000 people and spent over 280 thousand dollars of grassroots raised money doing so. Organizers are physically and mentally exhausted from doing the government's job for it. People are burned out and getting sick. Without our/their labor, asylum seekers would be left out on the streets.
The DC council and community are calling on you to use the 500 million dollar budget surplus from FY22 to support migrants being bused here. You have a choice—either stand with community members, asylum seekers, and DC councilmembers or be complicit in Abbott and Ducey’s racist, xenophobic stunt. Mayor Bowser, will you prove that DC is a real Sanctuary City and support our new neighbors by providing them with respite space, food, transport, and temporary housing upon arrival?
Sample Email
Subject: Take Action Now to Support Migrants Bused to DC!
Dear Mayor Bowser,
My name is ____ and I am emailing you to ask you to take action to support migrants being bused to DC. [DC residents: I have lived in DC for __ years and this issue is deeply important to me.]
Since April, the DMV community has been welcoming migrants arriving on buses with NO help from the DC government. The community has welcomed close to 4,000 people and spent over $280k of grassroots raised money doing so. What the community has been doing was never supposed to be a long term solution. Organizers are physically and mentally exhausted from doing the government's job for it. People are burned out and getting sick. Without our labor, asylum seekers, many of them families with young children, would be left out on the streets. It is unacceptable that the DC government has relied on volunteers and residents' labor and donations for over three months to support folks arriving on buses.
The DMV community’s desire to support our new neighbors has been exploited by the DC government for far too long as a way to ignore a growing humanitarian crisis in this city. It is not enough to just shift the blame to the federal government. You cannot claim that this is a Sanctuary city and then provide no sanctuary to those who are seeking it.
The DC Council and community are calling on you to use the $500 million budget surplus from FY22 to support migrants being bused here. You have a choice—either stand with the community members, asylum seekers, and the DC council or be complicit in Abbott and Ducey’s racist, xenophobic stunt. Will you support our new neighbors by providing them with respite space, food, transport, and temporary housing upon arrival?
Sample tweets
.@MayorBowser DC residents and @councilofdc are calling on you to support migrants being bused here! We can afford to do so using the $500 million FY22 budget surplus. Will you prove that DC is a real Sanctuary City and support our new neighbors? #NoSanctuaryinThisCity
.@MayorBowser it is unacceptable that the DC govt has relied on volunteers and residents' labor & donations for over 3 months to support migrants. It is time to stand with the community, asylum seekers, and @councilofdc and support folks being bused here! #NoSanctuaryinThisCity
.@MayorBowser you have a choice to either stand with community members, asylum seekers, and @councilofdc or be complicit in Abbott and Ducey’s racist, xenophobic stunt. Which one are you going to choose? #NoSanctuaryinThisCity
If you hear back from Bowser please let us know, email sanctuarydmv2017@gmail.com.