New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's office has reportedly announced that the Garden State will be shutting down migrant busloads in response to New York City Mayor Eric Adams' new executive order that seeks to regulate how so-called asylum seekers continue to arrive. in the Big Apple, reportedly confirmed to be used as a “transit point” for.
“My administration is following up on the recent arrival of several buses carrying immigrant families at various New Jersey Transit stations,” Murphy's spokesman Tyler Jones said in a statement reported by Politico. “I am doing so,” he said. “New Jersey is primarily used as a stopover for these families, with all or nearly all family members continuing their journey en route to their final destination, New York City. We are coordinating closely with our partners across the Hudson River, including our colleagues across the Hudson River.”
The mayors of Secaucus and Fanwood, New Jersey, reported the arrival of immigrant buses at their local stations. Trenton Mayor Reid Gusciola told Politico that New Jersey Department of Transportation officials notified city buses of people arriving at the Trenton station stop, but it was unclear whether those people were immigrants. He said he claimed.
Jersey City Mayor Stephen Fulop, who is running for governor in 2025, said in a since-deleted social media post: “This is obviously a very important conversation across the state, so I'm not sure what the next steps are. We will wait for some instructions from the governor regarding this.” The buses keep rolling,” Politico reported.
New Jersey mayor accuses immigrant buses of circumventing New York City order through 'loophole'
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy is seen at MetLife Stadium on November 1, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Murphy's office confirmed that immigrant buses arrived at stations in the Garden State over the weekend. (Jared Silver/NHLI via Getty Images)
Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli on Sunday accused migrant buses of circumventing New York City's executive order through a “loophole.”
According to the mayor. Secaucus police and town officials were notified by Hudson County officials about the arrival of buses at the Secaucus Junction train station starting Saturday. He said four buses are believed to have arrived, dropped off the migrants, and then taken the train into New York City. Gonnelli said a recent executive order signed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams requires bus operators to provide at least 32 hours' notice of arrival and limit drop-off times.
“It is clear that bus operators are finding ways to thwart the executive order's requirement to drop off migrants at the Secaucus station and transport them to their final destinations,” Gonnelli said in a statement. He suggested the order could be “too harsh” and could have “unintended consequences.”
Gonnelli called the tactic a “loophole” that bus operators found to allow migrants to reach New York City, adding that state police “currently do not do anything like this at train stations across the state.” “is occurring,” he added. Gonnelli vowed to work with state and county officials and “continue to closely monitor this situation.”
Migrants, mostly from West African countries, line up outside the former St. Bridget's School to apply for shelter in New York City on December 7, 2023. (Charlie Tribarrow/AFP via Getty Images)
According to a message posted on Jersey City's social media accounts, the city's Office of Emergency Management said “approximately 10 buses from various locations in Texas and one bus from Louisiana will be dispatched to Secaucus, Fanwood, and Edison. , arriving at various transit stations across the state, including Trenton.” . ”
New York Mayor Adams says immigration crisis will lead to 'very painful' budget cuts; doesn't expect federal government to help
About 397 migrants have arrived at those locations since Saturday, the Associated Press said in a post on Sunday.
On December 27, Adams issued an executive order requiring charter bus operators transporting migrants bound for the Big Apple to notify the New York City Emergency Management Director 36 hours in advance of their scheduled arrivals and passenger manifests. did. contains information on the number of immigrants traveling as single adults and as families. The order requires bus drop-off times to be from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Monday through Friday, and limits bus drop-off locations.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and New York City Mayor Eric Adams attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup official brand and logo launch ceremony on May 18, 2023. New Jersey currently serves as a transit point for immigrants heading to New York. (Liu Yan'an/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images)
A City Hall spokesperson said last week that since spring 2022, the Big Apple has “led the nation in responding to this national humanitarian crisis, providing compassion, care, shelter and critical services to more than 161,000 migrants.” '', targeting the Republican governor of Texas. Greg Abbott treated asylum seekers “like political pawns,” as he did in Chicago in response to a similar executive order, leaving families “on the train to New York City on a cold, dark night.” It is suspected that the suspects were sent to surrounding areas with tickets. There.
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Last week, Adams joined the mayors of Chicago and Denver in renewing their call for more federal aid and coordination with Texas to address the growing number of asylum seekers arriving in those cities by bus and plane. Ta.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
