New York City Mayor Eric Adams took a new measure in his quest to stem the amount of migrants arriving in the state from Texas, sent by the Greg Abbott administration as part of his "Lone Star" operation: the city filed lawsuits against 17 charter bus companies used by Texas to send migrants there.
Concretely, the Adams administration claims the companies violate New York state law by taking migrants to the city but not paying for their care after they leave. It is seeking $708 million in compensation. "Today's lawsuit should serve as a warning to all those who break the law in this way," Adams said in a press release.
"New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the cost of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas, alone," he added.
Authorities claim that more than 33,600 migrants have reached New York City through the bussing operation. "Governor Abbott's continued use of migrants as political pawns is not only chaotic and inhumane but makes clear he puts politics over people," reads another passage of the statement.
This latest measure adds to those already taken by NYC authorities to stem the flow of migrants, as it claims its budget to deal with it is under a heavy strain. In late December, the administration required charter bus companies to provide a 32 hours advance notice before their arrival and limited the days in which they can do so.
"We cannot allow buses with people needing our help to arrive without warning at any hour of day and night," said Adams. "To be clear, this is not stopping people from coming, but about ensuring the safety of migrants and making sure they can arrive in a coordinated and orderly way," he added.
Adams made the statements in the context of a joint press conference with the mayors of Chicago and Detroit, Brandon Johnson and Mike Johnston, in which they reiterated the need for federal help and coordination with Texas to deal with the continued increase of migrants arriving in their cities.
Chicago had already implemented measures on so-called "rogue buses," issuing lawsuits, fines and tickets to those not abiding by the guidelines given by authorities. Buses have tried avoiding them by making unscheduled drop-offs in different areas of the city and the suburbs.
Migrants arriving by bus from Texas are a fraction of the total number who have made their way to New York City. According to city figures from last week, over 161,000 people had arrived in 2023. And trends are only moving upward, as migrants arriving in the U.S. southern border continue climbing to unprecedented levels.
ABC News reported that there were 302,000 encounters along the southwest border in December, marking the highest monthly total ever recorded
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