2 buses of migrants dropped off outside VP Harris’s residence near Naval Observatory in DC

WASHINGTON - Two buses of migrants were dropped off Thursday morning outside Vice President Kamala Harris’s residence in northwest Washington, D.C.

Approximately 100 migrants, mainly from Venezuela, arrived just before 7 a.m. from the Del Rio, Texas area and off-loaded outside Harris' official residence, the U.S. Naval Observatory, near main guard gate. 

FOX News reporter Griff Jenkins was there in D.C. as Secret Service agents arrived at the gate while the migrants stood outside with bags of their belongings before moving to a nearby church. 

The migrants were picked up in Eagle Pass, Texas, and were sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, FOX News reports.

Gov. Abott released a statement about the migrants being dropped off in D.C., saying that the practice will continue.

"The Biden-Harris Administration continues ignoring and denying the historic crisis at our southern border, which has endangered and overwhelmed Texas communities for almost two years," said Gov. Abbott. "Our supposed Border Czar, Vice President Kamala Harris, has yet to even visit the border to see firsthand the impact of the open border policies she has helped implement, even going so far as to claim the border is ‘secure.’ Texas will continue sending migrants to sanctuary cities like Washington, D.C. until President Biden and Border Czar Harris step up and do their jobs to secure the border."

FOX 5 spoke with D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser Thursday regarding the situation.

"Well, you've heard me say throughout this experience since April that we have a national problem that's going to require a national response," Bowser said. "We're going to do all that we can in D.C. to make sure that people have a humane welcome and transfer to their final destinations. But we see in the months ahead that this problem could worsen."

"I know what we're dealing with," Bowser said when asked if the experience has given her a better understanding of what is being dealt with elsewhere in the country. "I'm elected to make sure that D.C. residents have what they need and that our systems can support our needs. When we have emergencies we set up an emergency response. And that's what we're doing to focus on what's coming our way."

"For me, there's a political debate to be had about immigration. The point that I want to make is that we have to have a system that makes sense, that's fair, and that gives people a pathway to citizenship who are here. And that is something that has to be handled by the Congress and the president," she said.

"For mayors like me that are dealing with a crisis – not of our making. And we're not a border town – we don't have an infrastructure to handle this level of immigration to our city. But we will create a new normal here in our infrastructure and have a humane welcome for people and an efficient service provision. But we don't have the ability – we're not Texas."

"I'm pretty sure they understand and see the situation clearly," Bowser said when asked if she thought the situation would make the Biden administration see the immigration problem more clearly. "All the lawmakers here – and the lawmakers in their homes in Texas or Arizona – they need to understand that we need a system - an immigration system – that works. That's fair at the border but also is dealing with the millions of people who live here who need a pathway to citizenship."

On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis followed through on his promise to drop off illegal immigrants in progressive states, sending two planes full of migrants to Martha’s Vineyard.

In August, Bowser wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, requesting for the second time that 150 D.C. National Guard members be deployed to the nation's capital to assist with the arrival of migrants.

Earlier this month, Bowser declared a public emergency and created a new office to provide services for migrants being bused into the District from border states such as Texas.