In an effort to slow the flow of migrants, Adams is limiting the number of buses into New York
Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday for the first time imposed limits on how migrants arrive in New York, pushing back against the Texas governor’s continued efforts to send tens of thousands of asylum seekers to the city.
In an executive order, Mr. Adams required charter bus companies to give 32 hours’ notice of the arrival of a busload of migrants in the city and limited the times of day when migrants could be dropped off.
The change, a year and a half into a crisis that has engulfed the Adams administration, comes after 14 busloads of migrants from Texas arrived overnight last week, the highest number since spring 2022.
“We cannot allow buses carrying people who need our help to arrive at all hours of the day and night without warning,” Mr. Adams said during a virtual press conference with Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Mayor of Denver, Mike Johnston. “To be clear, this does not stop people from coming, but is about ensuring the safety of migrants and ensuring they can arrive in a coordinated and orderly manner.”
Businesses that violate the executive order face class B misdemeanors, which can result in three months in jail and a $500 fine for individuals and a $2,000 fine for corporations. Buses that violate the order can also be seized by police.
At the news conference, the three mayors again demanded that the federal government grapple with its dysfunctional immigration system. Mr. Johnston said Denver had received more than 35,000 migrants and sheltered 4,000, creating a crisis that is consuming nearly 10 percent of the city’s budget. He called on the federal government to speed up work permits, provide more financial support and develop a coordinated entry plan so that asylum seekers would be more evenly distributed across the country.
“We cannot continue to do the work of the federal government,” Mr. Adams said.
The executive order was aimed squarely at Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, who recently recognized after sending 25,000 migrants to New York City. New York City has since processed more than 160,000 migrants, many from Venezuela. About 70,000 people remain in the city’s care, according to the mayor’s office.
The decision raises particular concerns about the city’s ability to care for migrants who arrive at night or on weekends and may need immediate shelter and services.
“People are getting off the bus in shorts and flip-flops,” said Joshua Goldfein, an attorney with the Legal Aid Society. “The city is not getting any kind of real-time information about when and where these buses will arrive.”
New York City, where homeless people are guaranteed the right to shelter, estimates that the influx will cost $12 billion over three years. Mr. Adams has responded with cuts to city services that his critics describe as draconian.
After the city of Chicago recently set similar regulations for bus companies, Texas responded by send buses to the Chicago suburbs, according to Mr. Johnson.
The buses have “literally dropped off families in the middle of nowhere” and “sowed an incredible amount of chaos,” he said.
It is unclear whether Mr. Abbott will follow a similar playbook by sending buses to places outside New York City. A spokesman for Mr. Abbott did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
If that were to happen, Mr. Goldfein said, “it would only highlight the recklessness and complete disregard for the well-being of the people who are passengers on these buses.”
Mr Johnston said Denver was also working to place restrictions on where and when asylum seekers could be dropped off so they did not arrive “in the middle of the night” with children placed in the “freezing cold”.
In the spring, Mr. Adams tried to send migrants north of the city, sparking an uproar among state executives. They promptly issued dozens of executive orders banning the entry of migrants.
Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said his county was already housing about 700 migrants and had reached maximum capacity. He said he wasn’t sure what he would do if a bus from Texas showed up on his county’s doorstep.
“We’ll have to deal with it,” he said.
Under the terms of the executive order, buses may only unload migrants between 8:30 a.m. and noon, Monday through Friday. People must be dropped off at a specific location in the Times Square area or at another location that city officials approve.
Bus companies must also have a manifest showing how many of their passengers have arrived in the United States in the past 90 days and are likely to seek emergency shelter. The manifesto should also document how many migrants are single adults or traveling as part of a family.
“We’re basically saying to bus operators and businesses, ‘Do not participate in Governor Abbott’s actions,’” Mr. Adams said. “We want them to take the right steps to be responsible.”