New York City Mayor Eric Adams filed a $700 million lawsuit against 17 transportation companies for the transfer of more than 30,000 migrants from Texas.
The Thursday development marks the latest effort by the Democrat in his feud with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Adams argued that the companies included in his lawsuit carried out a plan by the Republican lawmaker to transfer a huge number of asylum seekers to his city and make it pay for their care.
Eric Adams' $700 Million Lawsuit
The Big Apple is seeking $700 million in damages from the companies included in the lawsuit, which is an amount that is described as the cost of caring for and sheltering the migrants. It was filed in the State Supreme Court in Manhattan and argued that purposely transporting the asylum seekers with the "evil intention" of shifting the costs of their care to New York violates state law.
On the other hand, Abbott responded to the lawsuit saying that it was baseless and deserves to be sanctioned. The Texas governor noted that it was clear that Adams knew nothing about the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution or about the constitutional right to travel that the U.S. Supreme Court recognized, as per the New York Times.
The Republican added that the migrants who boarded the buses or flights to New York City did so voluntarily. Abbott said it came after the Biden administration authorized the asylum seekers to remain in the United States.
The transportation companies that were named in Adams' lawsuit include Buckeye LLC, based in Ohio, and Classic Elegance Coaches, based in El Paso, Texas. The owner of the former had no immediate comment regarding the development. On the other hand, a person who answered the phone at the latter's office referred a reporter to the state of Texas.
In conjunction with the lawsuit, Adams also released a minute-long video where he said that his city could no longer bear the "costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone." His remarks came as the arrival of more than 160,000 migrants in the Big Apple has consumed much of the Democrat's first two years in office.
Bussing of Migrants to the Big Apple
Adams added that New York City has and will always do its part to manage the humanitarian crisis involving migrants. The lawsuit comes as bus companies have been transporting migrants from Texas to the Big Apple since 2022, according to CBS News.
Texas officials allegedly showed the immigrants maps and bar-coded bracelets with their destinations clearly marked. Then, they were checked by drivers to make sure that they arrived in the Democrat-led city.
New York City's lawsuit charges the transportation companies with "bad faith" conduct and violating New York social service law when they dumped migrants without providing a means of support.
The Democratic mayor noted that the Texas governor has continued to use migrants as political pawns, which he called chaotic and inhumane. Adams said that the lawsuit he filed against the transportation companies should serve as a warning to all those who "break the law in this way," said Fox News.
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