NEW YORK — A second bus carrying migrants arrived Sunday in Manhattan from Texas.
Taking advantage of New York City’s right-to-shelter law, Gov. Greg Abbott sent the asylum seekers as he fights with Democratic cities over immigration policy.
CBS2’s Astrid Martinez spoke with immigration advocates on how this war between blue and red states is impacting local services, all while the migrants are caught in the middle.
READ MORE: Mayor Adams furious after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott sent dozens of migrants to New York City against their will
The bus that left Texas three days ago with New York City as its destination was carrying 40 migrants, but only 14 got off at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
City leaders are criticizing Mayor Eric Adams and Abbott for a lack of coordination and communication.
“We are here welcoming the new immigrants from Texas,” taxi driver Richard Chou said.
New York immigrants greeted the busload of asylum seekers, which included men, women and children.
“I’m from Haiti and I am welcoming these people to New York City because that also hurts me the way Texas treats my own Haitian people,” one person said.
The Port Authority Bus Terminal has become the center of an immigration confrontation. Abbott, a Republican, has been moving asylum seekers from overwhelmed border towns and busing them to New York City and other Democratic cities. Fourteen migrants arrived on Sunday, following 40 on Friday.
“We’re finding that some of the families that are on the bus that wanted to go to other locations and were not allowed to do so. They were forced on the bus,” Adams said.
Adams blasted Abbott’s busing effort.
“It is 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 are fleeing persecution and other intolerable conditions, we’ve always welcomed that. This governor is not doing that in Texas, but we are going to send the right message, the right tone, of being here for these families.”
“This is horrific. What the governor of Texas has done after months of traveling across the border, placing them on the bus with no direction,” Adams added.
The mayor greeted the migrants on Sunday morning in a show of support. He is also calling on the federal government to help pay for resources and services the city will need.
The city’s Department of Homeless Services has been struggling to meet demand.
“Fortunately, because it’s New York they’ve been getting as many services as they can at the time, but it’s really hard because there’s so much need for them, housing, food,” said Judy McQuistion, a volunteer at Al Otro Lado.
Immigration advocates say there needs to be coordination between states and agencies or havoc will ensue.
In June, CBS2 reported on a newly arrived migrant family that was separated at a shelter. The workers lost the family’s grandma for nearly two weeks. She was later found at a Harlem hospital.
“And there was a lack of when that family was processed. They didn’t handle it appropriately and hopefully they’re going to be more careful this time,” McQuistion said.
The migrants that just arrived will also need help from the city to navigate the courts. Since they have been processed by Customs and Border Protection, they are in this country legally as asylum seekers and need their work permits.
Source : https://www.cbsnews.com/dfw/news/eric-adams-blasts-texas-greg-abbotts-unimaginable-treatment-of-migrants-2nd-bus-arrives-nyc/
