More buses carrying asylum seekers arrive in NYC from Texas
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Another group of buses carrying asylum seekers arrived in New York City from Texas Tuesday.
According to Mayor Eric Adams, at least 7,600 migrants have gone through the city's shelter system since earlier this summer, though the exact number of people who have arrived is not known -- as not all have arrived on buses and not everyone has stayed in a city shelter.
A total of 83 people, including 15 children, arrived Tuesday morning, and officials here anticipate it will continue until the November election.
"We saw people who came thirsty, hungry, a few medical conditions that we needed to address immediately," Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro said.
Officials are working to expand already strained resources, including a shelter system that's almost at capacity.
The goal is to open a large shelter than can house the asylum seekers, but for now, smaller ones are open throughout the city, including the latest one that opened Monday on the Upper West Side.
"It is so important that our city is there and responsive to the needs of migrants that are coming through our borders," City Council member Shaun Abreu said. "These are folks, these are children who are going to be going to school in the next two weeks. We need to make sure they have a safe place to live, a neighborhood that will welcome them."
In addition to shelters, the city had opened a resource center for the migrants, a one stop shop for them to get any help they may need upon their arrival in New York City.
"We're very proud to be opening a navigation center where asylum seekers will be able to connect to legal services, will be able to connect with our education system, and to a whole variety of services that they're entitled to as New Yorkers," Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro said.
City officials have vowed to provide all resources possible to the asylum seekers, while continuing to call out Texas Governor Greg Abbott's decision to bus the migrants.
"We are outraged that there is no coordination from the state of Texas sending these humans into New York without any warning," Hispanic Federation President and CEO Frankie Miranda said. "But we are here. We're going to make sure that the network continues to support these families."
Abbott, however, says busing the migrants is providing relief to overwhelmed border communities.
"So many people have been blind to this until buses started showing up in their city, which is a sanctuary city by the way," Abbott told Fox News. "We still have an open invitation to the mayor of New York to come down to Texas to see exactly what's going on."
More buses are expected, not just from the state of Texas but separately from the county of El Paso, which just chartered a bus that departed Tuesday.
With the start of school just around the corner, city officials unveiled "Project Open Arms," a plan to make sure the migrant children are able to start classes on time and to make sure they and their families have the resources they need to adjust.
Donations can be dropped off for asylum seekers at two locations in Manhattan, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Uptown dropoff point is located at 431 West 125th Street, while the downtown dropoff location is at 1 Centre Street, 19th Floor.
Donated supplies will be delivered immediately to newly arrived asylum seekers, migrants and immigrants.
As for what to donate, new toiletries and hygiene items include body wash, shampoo, conditioner, deoderent, toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving cream, nail clippers, and unopened menstrual products.
New and packaged clothing includes underwear, socks and T-shirts for men, women and children in all sizes.
Other sought items are baby/body wipes, bath towels, face cloths and diapers.
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