New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a new executive order restricting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's efforts to bus migrants to the Big Apple.
The order comes as the Republican-led state has sent tens of thousands of asylum seekers to New York City. Adams now requires charter bus companies to provide 32 hours' notice of the arrival of a busload of migrants in the city. The executive order also limits the times of day at which migrants can be dropped off.
Eric Adams' New Executive Order
The development comes a year and a half into a migrant crisis that has consumed the New York City mayor's administration. It also comes after 14 busloads of migrants arrived from Texas in a single night last week, which was the highest total recorded since the spring of 2022.
During a virtual news conference with the mayor of Chicago, Brandon Johnson, and the mayor of Denver, Mike Johnston, Adams said that they cannot allow buses of people who need help to arrive without warning at any hour of day and night, as per the New York Times.
Adams added that the executive order would not prevent people from coming to New York, but instead works to ensure the safety of migrants and ensure that they arrive in a coordinated and orderly way.
Under the executive order, companies that violate the new rules face class B misdemeanor charges. These could result in three months in jail, a $500 fine for individuals, and a $2,000 fine for corporations. Buses found to have violated the Police Department could also be seized.
The three mayors spoke during the news conference and demanded that the federal government grapple with its dysfunctional immigration system. Johnston said that his city had received more than 35,000 migrants and was already housing 4,000. He argued this created a crisis consuming nearly 10% of the budget.
Read Also: Texas Sends Plane Carrying Migrants From El Paso to Chicago After City Cracks Down on Buses
Addressing the Migrant Crisis
Adams' new executive order only allows buses to carry migrants into New York City between 8:30 a.m. and noon on weekdays. The Democrat has routinely blamed Abbott for sending asylum seekers into the five boroughs, according to Politico.
The announcement of the new order comes as the three mayors' cities have formed a coalition to press the White House and federal government for more migrant aid. Each metropolis is grappling with the economic and governmental burden of housing, feeding, and educating tens of thousands of asylum seekers.
On Tuesday, Adams administration officials said that the city is taking in nearly 4,000 migrants every week. There have been a total of more than 161,000 migrants that entered New York City since the start of the migrant crisis and 68,000 of whom are still in the city's care.
Abbott has been sending migrants to New York City and other sanctuary cities via buses and his office said that they have already transported roughly 27,000 migrants to Adams' city so far. They added that the efforts were made to relieve pressure on besieged border communities.
