New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) accused Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) of his “mean attitude” during the illegal immigration crisis, saying he has “destroyed” the lives of asylum seekers.
Adams made the comments Thursday on Good Morning America 3, saying the governor was “intentional” in putting immigrants on buses and “forcing” them out of the city. The mayor said that's why he sued more than a dozen charter bus and transportation companies involved in bringing thousands of migrants to New York.
“We tried to communicate and coordinate [Abbott], just the meanness of this governor who is intent on putting people on buses and leaving the city. That is why we are taking legal action,” Adams said.
“If you look at what he's doing, history will reflect how much he destroyed people's lives,” he added.
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New York City Mayor Eric Adams spoke about dealing with the immigration crisis in a recent television appearance. (ABC)
Last week, Mr. Adams announced a $708 million lawsuit against 17 charter bus companies hired by Texas to transport migrants to sanctuary cities such as New York.
The lawsuit alleges that the companies violated New York state law by not paying the costs of caring for the immigrants, and seeks damages aimed at recouping the costs of caring for the immigrants. The paper cites a New York state law that requires anyone who brings in an “indigent person” from out of state for public charges to either transport them out of state or assist them.
Mr. Abbott dismissed the lawsuit as “baseless.” He rejected criticism from Adams and other Democratic mayors, saying he was busing immigrants to help besieged Texas communities. The state has said it has transferred more than 95,000 migrants to “sanctuary” cities, but Abbott recently said, “The overwhelming challenges that Texas' border towns face every day… It's just part of the picture.” More than 2.4 million migrants were encountered in fiscal year 2023, and officials told lawmakers last month that on average 5,000 cases per day to the usa
New York City Mayor Adams sues Texas bus company for $700 million over transporting migrants to sanctuary city
Asylum seekers line up in front of the historic Roosevelt Hotel, which has been converted into a city-run shelter for newly arrived immigrant families, on September 27, 2023 in New York City, USA. (Selcuk Achar/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Adams told Good Morning America 3 that about 170,000 immigrants have been “displaced” in New York City, which is about 1.5 times the population of Albany, New York. The mayor said there is a need for a national “decompression strategy” that would spread out paroled asylum seekers in the U.S. “across the country, rather than just targeting one city.”
“No city should be dealing with a national crisis of this magnitude,” Adams said, noting that New York City receives between 2,500 and 4,000 immigrants each week.
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“We have to find shelter, food, shelter, clothing, education for our children, health care, and it’s not sustainable,” he continued. “That means a $12 billion hole in the economic budget that will impact low-income New Yorkers and impact every service in this city.”
The mayor emphasized the need to help immigrants find “jobs.”
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“Listen, this is a country of immigrants,” Adams said. “The difference between what we did with Ukrainian citizens and other immigrants who came to this great country is that we allowed them to work.”
“This is so anti-American that we're telling thousands of people that you have to come to that country and you can't feed your children and your family. It's not what it is, it's what it is.'' That's the crux of the issue. ”
Fox News Digital's Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
