2nd bus of migrant families arrives in NYC, Texas Governor threatens to send more
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday greeted the second busload of migrant families sent by the governor of Texas to the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Republican Greg Abbott had dozens of migrants who had crossed the Texas border placed on buses and sent to New York City.
The first bus arrived at the Port Authority on Friday, and the city said it will accept the asylum seekers, but will need help from the federal government.
Now, Abbott is threatening to send even more migrant families to the city.
"It's unimaginable what the governor of Texas has done," Adams said. "When you think about this country, a country that has always been open to those who were fleeing persecution and other intolerable conditions. We've always welcomed them. And this governor is not doing that in Texas."
The bus that arrived on Friday had about 50 people.
The second bus that arrived in Manhattan Sunday morning had 40 people on board, and only 14 of them got off.
A group of New York City taxi drivers was also at Port Authority to offer free assistance and transportation to the families.
"We are here to welcome them and to hope and believe they will have a better life that they were looking for," one driver said.
The Texas governor said this action was taken in order to help Texas border towns find relief due to the crisis he says was caused by the president's open border policies.
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He said New York is the ideal destination for migrants due to the abundance of city services and housing it has to offer.
Some of the families on board were sent to hotels since there's not enough space at family shelters in the city.
"They're not letting us know what time the buses are leaving," Adams said. "They're not letting us know what are the needs of the people on the bus. They're not giving us any information so we're unable to really provide service to the people en route."
The city's Department of Homeless Services legally cannot turn anyone away who wants shelter but has been struggling to meet the demand.
City leaders called the move by Abbott inconsiderate because these families are lost in translation and for many, New York wasn't their final destination.
"There are probably many of them who did not want to end up here and who are now here and trying to figure out where they're going to sleep and what they're going to eat," Kathryn Kliff of the Attorney Legal Aid Society said.
Government officials said this political stunt is costing Texans over a million dollars.
Adams says he's optimistic that help will come from the federal government.
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