New York City has taken legal action against over a dozen charter bus companies, holding them accountable for their involvement in Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s operation to transport tens of thousands of migrants to urban areas. The lawsuit alleges that these 17 bus companies knowingly implemented Abbott’s busing plan, which violated a New York law that imposes limits on transferring “needy persons” across state lines. Seeking damages exceeding $700 million, the city aims to recoup the expenses incurred in caring for approximately 33,000 migrants who have arrived in the city on charter buses since April 2022.
Mayor Eric Adams, a moderate Democrat, has been steadfast in his efforts to address the influx of migrants sent from Texas on a daily basis. This lawsuit represents his latest attempt to combat this issue. Governor Abbott, a Republican, has openly expressed that his objective is to draw attention to President Joe Biden’s border policy. In response to the arrival of 14 buses in New York City last month, Mayor Adams issued an executive order that restricted when such buses could drop off passengers and demanded advanced notice of their arrival. Consequently, many of these companies began leaving migrants in nearby towns, which infuriated local officials.
Some of the bus companies implicated in the lawsuit claim to have been taken by surprise. Employees, such as David Jones from Buckeye Coach LLC, maintain that they are solely transportation companies, emphasizing that they do not create policies. However, the Adams administration argues that the increased scrutiny on the bus companies stems partly from the legal protections Texas enjoys under the doctrine of sovereign immunity. At the time of writing, Governor Abbott had not responded to an inquiry regarding the lawsuit.
The lawsuit is built on a provision in New York law that applies to the “bad faith” transfer of individuals across state lines. According to this law, anyone who knowingly brings a needy person from another state into New York for the purpose of making them a public charge is obligated to shoulder the expenses of caring for that person or ensure their departure from the state.
Murad Awawdeh, the executive director of the Immigration Coalition, views this legal action as a distraction from the larger issues that the city must address in providing for newly arrived migrants. Awawdeh criticizes Mayor Adams, accusing him of using the lawsuit to shift blame onto others for his alleged mismanagement of the situation.
New York City is taking the charter bus companies involved in Gov. Abbott’s busing plan to court, arguing that their actions violated New York state law and resulted in significant costs for the city. These legal proceedings are part of Mayor Adams’ ongoing campaign to tackle the challenges posed by the influx of migrants from Texas. While some criticize the lawsuit as a diversion from larger issues, the city remains determined to hold accountable those it believes were knowingly complicit in facilitating the transfer of migrants across state lines.
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