Migrants Transported to New Jersey from Texas and Southern States, Mayor Confirms

New Jersey Mayor says buses of migrants are stopping at his town to evade New York City's executive order.

The mayor of Secaucus, New Jersey, Michael Gonnelli, has reported that 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, Eric Adams. The order aims to regulate how and when migrants can be dropped off in the city.

Gonnelli stated that the buses were believed to have arrived at the train station in Secaucus Junction beginning Saturday, and dropped off migrants who then took trains into New York City. He suggested that the order may be "too stringent" and is resulting in "unexpected consequences."

The mayor called the tactic a "loophole" bus operators have found to allow migrants to reach New York City, and added that state police have reported that "this is now happening at train stations throughout the state." Gonnelli vowed to work with state and county officials and to "continue to monitor this situation closely."

A message posted on a social media account for Jersey City reported that approximately 10 buses from various locations in Texas and one from Louisiana have arrived at various transit stations throughout the state, including Secaucus, Fanwood, Edison, and Trenton. About 397 migrants had arrived at those locations since Saturday.

A spokesperson for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy stated that New Jersey is being used as a transit point for migrants, almost all of whom continued on to New York City. New Jersey officials are "closely coordinating with federal and local officials "including our colleagues across the Hudson."

In New York City, a spokesperson for City Hall said that the city had "led the nation in responding to this national humanitarian crisis, providing compassion, care, shelter, and vital services to more than 161,000 migrants" since spring 2022. The spokesperson characterized the executive order as "part of that effort, ensuring the safety and well-being of both migrants and city staff."

The spokesperson also accused Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of treating asylum seekers "like political pawns" and dropping off families in surrounding areas "in the cold, dark of night with train tickets to travel to New York City" as was done in Chicago in response to a similar executive order. The spokesperson emphasized the need for more federal help and coordination with Texas over the growing number of asylum-seekers arriving in their cities by bus and plane.

Adams, along with mayors of Chicago and Denver, renewed pleas for more federal help and coordination with Texas over the growing number of asylum-seekers arriving in their cities by bus and plane. They want more federal funds, efforts to expand work authorization, and a schedule for when buses arrive. Cities have already spent hundreds of millions of dollars to house, transport, and provide medical care for migrants.

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