New York Files Lawsuit Against Bus Firms Over Migrant Transfers

New York City has taken legal action by filing a lawsuit against 17 bus companies, alleging the illegal transportation of over 33,000 migrants from the state of Texas to the city.

The lawsuit seeks over $700 million (€639 million) in damages, accusing these transport firms of facilitating the transfer of tens of thousands of migrants from the southern border to New York, purportedly under the guidance of Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

These bus companies are accused of participating in what is described as a "bad faith" relocation effort, violating state regulations prohibiting the abandonment of "needy persons" in New York.

The lawsuit aims to recover economic damages to cover the costs associated with providing care and services to an estimated 33,000 migrants who have arrived in the largest city in the United States via these buses since the spring of 2022.

New York had previously attempted to restrict the arrival of buses carrying migrants by imposing limitations on drop-off locations and introducing notification requirements.

However, these requirements were allegedly bypassed, further intensifying the ongoing debate over migration, especially in the lead-up to a presidential election later this year.

Some buses have reportedly dropped off migrants in neighboring New Jersey, from where they then make the final leg of their journey to New York via rail.

In an official statement, the city declared, "(The city) announced a lawsuit against 17 charter bus and transportation companies that seeks to recoup all costs New York City has incurred providing emergency shelter and services to migrants transported by the charter bus companies, totaling at least approximately $708 million in the last 20 months."

New York Mayor Eric Adams stated, "New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone. Today, we are taking legal action against 17 companies that have taken part in Texas Governor Abbott's scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to New York City in an attempt to overwhelm our social services system."

Governor Abbott responded by dismissing the allegations as "baseless" and criticized Mayor Adams, stating that he "knows nothing about the Commerce Clause of the US Constitution, or about the constitutional right to travel."

In July 2023, the US Justice Department filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas over the installation of floating barriers in the Rio Grande River to deter migrants from crossing into the United States.

The Rio Grande, spanning 1,896 miles (3,051 kilometers) from Colorado to the Gulf of Mexico, witnesses hundreds of migrants attempting to cross the river daily in a bid to enter the US.

Republican Texas Governor Abbott has implemented various measures in recent years to curtail migrant entry, including the use of razor-wire fencing, arrests of migrants for trespassing, and transporting asylum-seekers to other states governed by the Democratic party.