Texas Gov. Greg Abbott responded to New York Mayor Eric Adams’ criticism of busing migrants out of the Lone Star State and refusal to visit the border by sending a bus to the Big Apple on Friday.
The Republican governor promised more were on the way.
“Over 50 migrants were bused to New York City this morning from the southern border in Texas,” Abbott’s office said in a statement, according to the New York Post.
“This is now a drop-off location for our ongoing busing strategy,” it said.
The governor also addressed the issue in a news release Friday.
“Because of President [Joe] Biden’s continued refusal to acknowledge the crisis caused by his open border policies, the State of Texas has had to take unprecedented action to keep our communities safe,” Abbott said.
“In addition to Washington, D.C., New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city,” he said.
“I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns can find relief.”
The 1st bus of migrants has arrived in NYC.
Biden refuses to do his job, so Texas continues to take unprecedented action to secure our border.
NYC is the ideal destination for these migrants.
They can receive the services Mayor Adams has boasted about w/in the sanctuary city. pic.twitter.com/4sw41RqKdx
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 5, 2022
Texas is taking action to secure our state & country.
The bus of migrants that arrived in New York City this morning is a tiny fraction of the border crisis Texas faces on a daily basis.
It’s time for Biden to do. his. job. pic.twitter.com/FO9DrtrTeV
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 5, 2022
In April, Abbott launched a voluntary busing program for migrants wanting to go to D.C. Arizona Republican Gov. Doug Ducey followed suit the next month.
The governors’ objective was to put the issue of the Biden administration’s lax immigration enforcement policies on the federal government’s doorstep.
At a July 21 news conference, Adams called Abbott and Ducey “cowards” for busing migrants to Washington. “They should never send them away,” the Democratic mayor said.
New York City has provided temporary housing to approximately 3,000 migrants, which has created a strain on its shelter system, Adams said.
New York is a sanctuary city and required by law to provide shelter, he explained.
“We’re not like those who are sending people away during their time [of need]. We are representative of what this country stands for, and we will always continue,” the mayor said.
Adams also said he had asked for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance in the ongoing task.
Gov. Greg Abbott have started bussing migrants to New York City, first bus with 50 illegal migrants arrived today morning. pic.twitter.com/VdwHVfTlEN
— Real Mac Report (@RealMacReport) August 5, 2022
On Monday, Abbott sent a formal invitation to Adams and Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser to visit the southern border to better understand the illegal immigrant crisis his state is facing.
Fox News reported Wednesday that a spokesman for Adams had rejected Abbott’s offer.
“Instead of a photo-op at the border, we hope Governor Abbott will focus his energy and resources on providing support and resources to asylum seekers in Texas as we have been hard at work doing in New York City,” spokesman Fabien Levy said in a written statement.
“We continue to work with federal partners to receive additional financial resources immediately, but will never turn our backs on those in need who are arriving here,” Levy said.
To give some perspective, more than 200,000 migrants have crossed the nation’s southwestern border per month since March, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. The crossings have primarily been into Texas, Arizona and California.
Should Texas send more migrants to New York?
In January 2021, when President Donald Trump left office, there were approximately 78,000 apprehensions at the border. In May, the number peaked at almost 250,000, according to CBP.
Under the Biden administration’s border policies, the United States has experienced a record surge of migrants crossing illegally into the country.
For the 2022 fiscal year, there have been 1,746,119 encounters at the border as of June 30, which has already surpassed the entire fiscal 2021 record of 1,734,686, according to the CBP.
Abbott told Fox News host Jesse Watters on Thursday night, “Public officials across the country, they do need to realize the magnitude of the chaos created by Biden’s open border policies.”
Texas will send buses of migrants to D.C. until Biden does his job of securing the border. pic.twitter.com/lN85sxRfqJ
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) August 5, 2022
“They’re up in arms about a few thousand people coming into their communities over the past few months,” he continued. “Listen, in any one sector of the state of Texas, we have more than 5,000 people come across that sector every single day.”
“We’re full in the state of Texas. Our communities are overrun.”
