D.C. has housed many migrants at the Days Inn on New York Avenue. The city plans to close down its operations there Friday. D.C. has begun to scale back its migrant assistance program and plans to close one of the hotels it uses to house those bused in from Texas and Arizona, even as other cities across the country plead with the Biden administration for more resources to deal with an influx of
as a cost-cutting measure, a spokesperson with Arizona’s Department of Emergency and Military Affairs said. Now, apart from the dwindling hotel population, there are 223 people staying at a city respite center, also on New York Avenue, that seeks to limit stays to about three days unless a family is in dire need. The center has become the Bowser administration’s preferred route for new migrants.
White criticized Bowser for not being vocal about such obstacles while other mayors — particularly New York Mayor Eric Adams and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston — have called on the Biden administration to make it easier for the migrants to legally work.“DHS and our community partners work with migrants to access legal pathways to work which is a crucial component of resettlement plans,” DHS said in a statement in response to the critique.
Some of the program participants have used the extra cash to help relatives back home or to fund the journeys of those on their way to the“We’re very proud of the successes we’ve had, but it’s not 100 percent,” Nuñez said. “What we’re trying to do is build a system that doesn’t create dependency.”