Despite campaigning as a supporter of “sanctuary” policies meant to welcome undocumented immigrants with open arms, Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams has taken a less hospitable approach in recent months.
As a steady stream of migrants pour into the Big Apple, he declared in September that the crisis would “destroy” the city and even took aim at the Biden administration for failing to do enough to stem the tide of illegal immigration.
Adams has also forcefully pushed back against Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s effort to transport migrants to New York City, implementing a new policy that limits the arrival of such buses within the city to certain times and locations.
The move sparked a shift in strategy whereby buses have been making stops in neighboring New Jersey before migrants continue their journey to New York City.
Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy — who was also an outspoken supporter of sanctuary policies before shifting his opinion on the matter — echoed Adams’ stance in a statement of his own last year.
“I don’t see any scenario where we’re going to be able to take in a program in Atlantic City or frankly elsewhere in the state,” he said. “You need scale, enormous amounts of federal support, resources that go beyond anything that we can afford.”
Of course, that is essentially the argument Abbott has made regarding the toll illegal immigration has taken on Texas communities, with the notable difference being that his state has been forced to absorb far more migrants over the course of the Biden administration.
The mayor of one New Jersey city that has seen a spike in bus arrivals in recent days accused those involved of attempting to bypass Adams’ new policy.
A New Jersey mayor says buses of migrants bound for New York City have been stopping at the train station in his town and others in an apparent effort to evade an executive order by New York’s mayor. https://t.co/bS9vrXaCll
— NewsNation (@NewsNation) January 1, 2024
“It seems quite clear the bus operators are finding a way to thwart the requirements of the Executive Order by dropping migrants at the train station in Secaucus and having them continue to their final destination,” claimed Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli.
A city hall spokesperson in New York City used the current situation as yet another opportunity to criticize Abbott’s ongoing effort to ease the burden on his state.
“This is exactly why we have been coordinating with surrounding cities and counties since before issuing our order to encourage them to take similar executive action to protect migrants against this cruelty,” the source asserted.
