Texas Starts Transporting Illegal Immigrants to New York City

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a meeting in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 27, 2021. Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Texas authorities on Aug. 5 said its first group of illegal immigrants would be transported to New York City, expanding a program that has drawn criticism from Democrats.

The group was going to be dropped off on Friday morning at Port Authority Bus Terminal, in the borough of Manhattan, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said.

Texas in April started dropping off illegal aliens in Washington near the U.S. Capitol.

Abbott, a Republican, said at the time that the program, which immigrants volunteer for, is meant to take the illegal immigration crisis to President Joe Biden’s doorstep.

“Because of President 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 a statement.

“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. 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,” Abbott added.

Adams, a Democrat, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

More than 4,000 illegal immigrants have been transported to Washington by Texas and Arizona authorities, officials there said in July. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, requested National Guard assistance to deal with the surge of immigrants, which she said was overwhelming the city’s support systems.

Both New York City and Washington are so-called sanctuary cities. Authorities in the cities welcome illegal immigrants and refuse to cooperate with federal authorities to crack down on the population, which are not supposed to be allowed to stay in the country provided any asylum claims have been adjudicated.

Invitation Turned Down

Bowser and Adams have both been critical of Abbott and Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, alleging the programs are not helping the illegal immigrants. The White House has also decried the efforts.

Abbott on Aug. 1 invited the mayors to the border to see firsthand the crisis that has reached unprecedented levels during Biden’s administration.

Adams rejected the 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,” a spokesman for the mayor said in a 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,” the spokesman added.

Bowser has not appeared to respond to the invitation.

Adams announced an “emergency procurement declaration” on Aug. 1, which enables the city to quickly expand its shelter system.

A July 28 email from New York City’s Human Resources Administration, obtained by The Epoch Times, urged all staff who can work overtime to do so, to deal with a “drastic influx of asylum seekers” in Manhattan and the outer boroughs.

The action came due to a flood of illegal immigrants. Authorities pegged the number that has arrived since late May at 4,000, but acknowledged the figure was a “conservative estimate” because officials do not ask for a person’s immigration status when entering them into the system.

Michael Washburn contributed to this report.