Republican governors have vowed to continue sending migrants to Democratic-run cities to protest the Biden administration's immigration policies. So far, more than 8,200 migrants on nearly 200 buses have been sent to Washington, D.C., as part of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s multimillion dollar program to criticize the administration's handling of the southern border.
But the willingness of the local communities to help them hasn't slowed. One such individual, a woman from Maryland named Mara, is going above and beyond to support asylum seekers sent to D.C.
In her two-bedroom condo, at her own expense, Mara is housing a family of Cuban migrants that were on a bus sent to the nation’s capital by Gov. Abbott.
Mara, who asked to only be identified by her first name, is helping families in small and big ways. To her, she said, “it’s just like living with roommates, it’s just like living with family."
“They were being dropped on the street with nothing,” she told Spectrum News. "And there was no way for them to make a life unless people came and helped. So I came and helped."
One afternoon Spectrum News followed Mara when she went to a local library looking for resources to help the family like English learning classes and a library card.
“They're just people, they're not a faceless invasion, they're individuals doing exactly the same thing that the rest of us would do if you're in a place where there's absolutely no food, and there's no medicine in the hospitals,” Mara added.
The migrant transportation has strained local resources so much that Washington, D.C.’s delegate in Congress is asking for $50 million in additional humanitarian assistance, through the Federal Emergency Management Agency under the new appropriations bill.
“I'm just afraid that we're going to run out of emergency management, food, and shelter funding, and so far, they seem to be being accommodated quite well in the District of Columbia," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said.
She said the District of Columbia has tried to do its best and not "to fuss about it simply, but to do something about it" adding: "These migrants are helpless victims.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's office issued a statement which says federal dollars should be earmarked for border states such as Texas rather than sanctuary cities:
"Any federal support needs to be sent to the center of the crisis at our southern border, not sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C. which is only experiencing a fraction of the historic level of illegal immigrants Texans deal with every single day. If these East Coast Democrats want a solution to this crisis, they should call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border—something the President continues failing to do," Abbott's press secretary Renae Eze said in a statement.
Spectrum News also followed Mara to the grocery store, and in the back was a car seat that was donated for the migrant couple’s newborn. Mara believes it shows just how much the DC area wants to help.
“When you don’t let anger or hate or politics or fear get in the way, people want to take care of other people,” she added.
Mara said she thinks "more needs to be done to implement reforms allowing some migrants to work," adding: "The couple she is sheltering is eager to do so."
As the family awaits legal proceedings, Mara vows to shelter them for as long as they need.
“I love them. They’re such fantastic people, so kind, so brave, great dancers, they’re good folks, they’re my family now,” Mara said.