Texas Gov. Greg Abbott defiantly declared Friday that he will continue to ship migrants from the southern border to the Big Apple — as Mayor Eric Adams issued a state of emergency over the flood of asylum-seekers.
“Sanctuary cities like New York City experience a FRACTION of what Texas border communities face every day,” Abbott seethed on Twitter. “We’ll continue busing migrants to NYC, DC, & Chicago to relieve our overwhelmed border towns until [President] Biden does his job to secure the border.”
Abbott’s office has refused to provide exact tallies of the number of people or buses sent by Texas state officials to the five boroughs.
City Hall has vigorously complained about Abbott’s decision to bus the recent arrivals, most of whom are attempting to claim asylum after escaping the brutal dictatorship and economic collapse in Venezuela.
Adams again excoriated Abbott on Friday for refusing to notify city officials about incoming buses or to coordinate and share information about the migrants onboard.
The governor’s buses are one of at least three sources of recent arrivals flowing into New York City, which is already home to some of the nation’s busiest ports and one of its largest populations of immigrants.
Federal officials have flown and bused some migrants awaiting hearings in immigration court northward to relieve crowding at the border.
Additionally, some municipalities in Texas are also sending buses independent of the state’s program, notably El Paso.
That border city’s mayor estimates that his city has sent as many as 7,000 people in recent weeks after striking a deal with City Hall to provide notification of the buses arriving.
Adams said today that he would ask the mayor there to nix his transportation program.