New York City Mayor Eric Adams blasted Texas governor Greg Abbott for busing migrants out of Texas to liberally governed cities in the U.S., in what has been termed Operation Lone Star.
The busing has been an ongoing practice for Abbott, who has been transporting asylum seekers out of Texas border towns since April of this year. Abbott’s practice began after President Biden initiated efforts to stop Title 42, an emergency policy implemented during the pandemic, which enabled quick expulsion of migrants by agents at the border.
Adams said, “This is horrific, when you think about what the governor is doing,” Politico reports. “Some of the families are on the bus that wanted to go to other locations, and they were not allowed to do so. They were forced on the bus.”
“Our goal is to immediately find out each family’s needs and give them the assistance they want,” Adams continued.
Abbott, who initially denied busing migrants out of his state, released a statement last Friday, as an attempt to defend his stance. He insisted that he’s merely trying to fill the “dangerous gaps left by the Biden Administration’s refusal to secure the border,” according to CBS.
The statement continued, “Since the launch of Operation Lone Star, the multi-agency effort has led to more than 290,700 migrant apprehensions and more than 18,000 criminal arrests, with more than 15,400 felony charges reported…In the fight against fentanyl, DPS has seized over 325.9 million lethal doses throughout the state. Texas has also transported over 6,500 migrants to the nation’s capital — and now New York City — since beginning the busing mission in April to provide much-needed relief to our overwhelmed border communities.”
Abbott cheekily followed up with “I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms.”
Adams has indicated that Texas officials have failed to communicate with city officials about the busing and have also neglected to relay information about bus departures and arrivals, including accurate numbers of passengers on board.
In the meantime, Adams has stated that he aims to aid the families and has asked for federal assistance to deal with the influx of migrants.
As of yet, Adams has not called for an overhaul of immigration policies at the federal level.
