Authorities are still struggling to handle the influx of migrants at the US-Mexico border and in US towns where a large number of asylum applicants are being transported.
The most recent advancements are as follows:
Buses have been using New Jersey transit terminals as a way around new regulations designed to reduce the enormous volume of arrivals in New York City. According to a news release from the mayor of Secaucus, at least four buses made stops at the rail station at Secaucus Junction in New Jersey this past weekend.
Michael Gonnelli stated, “From what we understand, the migrants took trains to New York City after being dropped off at the train station.” “It appears that the migrants are currently obtaining train tickets and traveling toward their ultimate destination.”
He stated, “It looks like bus operators have found a way around the system to make sure the migrants get to their ultimate destination, which is New York City.”
Mayor Eric Adams of New York City issued an order this week requiring charter bus firms to give city emergency management officials passenger manifests with estimated drop-off times and locations at least 32 hours in advance of the passengers’ arrival.
Following months of effort by Texas and several other Republican-dominated states to transport tens of thousands of migrants and asylum seekers—often with little to no notice—by bus and airplane to large cities governed by Democratic mayors, Adams issued the order.
The mayor of New York disputed on Tuesday that the executive order was “backfiring” in reaction to the weekend drop-offs. Adams and his group stated that they are looking into every avenue to address the situation, including speaking with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. Adams did not provide Murphy with a time or date for their meeting.
The office of emergency management in Jersey City, which is close by, announced on Sunday on X, formerly known as Twitter that “approximately 10 busses from various locations in Texas and one from Louisiana have arrived at various transit stations throughout the state, including Secaucus, Fanwood, Edison, Trenton,” carrying nearly 400 migrants.
Adams stated last week that “14 chartered buses with migrants arrived overnight from Texas, the highest recorded number in a single night,” bringing the total number of new arrivals to New York City during the last month to nearly 14,700.
GOP Governor Greg Abbott boasted on Friday that since August 2022, Texas had bussed over 33,600 migrants to New York City.
A representative for New York City Hall said in a statement to CNN on Monday that Abbott “continues to treat asylum seekers like political pawns and is instead dropping families off in surrounding cities and states in the cold, dark of night with train tickets to travel to New York City.”
The spokeswoman stated, “This is precisely why, since before we issued our order, we have been coordinating with surrounding cities and counties to encourage them to take similar executive action to protect migrants against this cruelty.”