New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced a lawsuit against more than a dozen charter bus and transportation companies involved in transporting migrants to the city. The lawsuit aims to seek hundreds of millions of dollars for the care of migrants in the self-described “sanctuary” city. The move comes after Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s ongoing transportation of migrants to “sanctuary cities” sparked a war of words between the two politicians.
In a statement, Mayor Adams argued that New York City cannot bear the costs of Texas’ political ploys alone. The lawsuit claims that the companies violated New York state law by not paying for the cost of caring for migrants and seeks $708 million in damages that the city has already spent on their care. It cites a New York law that states anyone who brings a “needy person” from out of state for the purpose of making them a public charge must either take them out of the state or support them.
Mayor Adams has been critical of Governor Abbott’s transportation of migrants to New York City since last year. To address this issue, Adams recently issued an executive order requiring charter buses to provide advanced notice and drop off migrants at a specific location during set hours. However, it appears that some buses have been bypassing this requirement by dropping off migrants at train stations in neighboring New Jersey.
Mayor Adams remains committed to enforcing the executive order and has reached out to the governors of New Jersey and Connecticut. He believes that these states should implement similar orders to send a message to bus operators and companies not to participate in Governor Abbott’s actions, which he describes as an attempt to destabilize cities.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul expressed support for Mayor Adams’ lawsuit, asserting that companies transporting migrants into the state should be held responsible for the cost of sheltering them. Governor Hochul criticized these companies for passing the expense onto hard-working New Yorkers.
Governor Abbott has defended his transportation of migrants, arguing that it is necessary to assist the overwhelmed Texas border towns. The state claims to have transported over 95,000 migrants to “sanctuary” cities, emphasizing that this is only a fraction of the daily challenges faced by Texas communities. With more than 2.4 million migrant encounters in FY 23, officials have stated that an average of 5,000 migrants are being released into the U.S. each day.
An Abbott spokesperson criticized Democratic mayors for avoiding their sanctuary city promises while remaining silent on President Biden’s transportation of migrants across the country. The spokesperson called on these mayors to urge their party leader to secure the border, which they claim he has failed to do.
The lawsuit filed by Mayor Adams against the transportation companies is seen as a warning to those who break the law in transporting migrants. It highlights the ongoing tensions between Republican and Democratic politicians regarding immigration policies and their impact on local communities.
