Hundreds of new migrants were dropped off near major cities as the year came to a close this week, a symptom of the ongoing migrant crisis at the border.
In New Jersey, some bus operators figured out a “loophole” in New York City’s new migrant restrictions and started dropping migrants off at New Jersey train stations, where they took the train to New York.
At least 13 buses carrying about 450 migrants have shown up in New Jersey from Texas and Louisiana since Saturday. One bus arrived early Monday morning in Jersey City, according to the city’s mayor.
“From what we understand after being dropped at the train station the migrants then took trains to New York City,” Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli said in a press release on the incident.
Last week, New York City Mayor Eric Adams ordered that buses carrying migrants must provide the city with 32 hours notice before arriving and can only drop off migrants on weekday mornings. Violators risk fines and having their bus impounded.
More than 161,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since the spring of 2022, causing the city to scramble to find them shelter. The financial strain on the city prompted Adams to announce deep budget cuts affecting all agencies including the police force, the public school system, and sanitation services.
In the Chicago area, more than 350 migrants were flown to nearby Rockford from Texas on Sunday morning. They were immediately put on buses to Chicago.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson said Texas did not give the city notice that it was sending the migrants, who he said arrived via private plane.
Since April 2022, Texas says it has sent more than 90,000 migrants to “sanctuary cities” run by Democrats, including New York City, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.
Chicago scrambled to house migrants before the cold winter months set in, but many are still sheltering at the city’s police stations and airports.
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In Denver, as many as 19 buses and vans reportedly dropped off migrants in the city on Friday. Migrants were left in the parking lots of Home Depot, Walmart, and Sam’s Club, Denver7 reported.
A day later, some of the migrants returned and reportedly tried to make money by trying to charge Sam’s Club customers to park in the free parking lot, according to a security guard who was hired to protect the parking lot. They also reportedly tried to earn cash by helping customers load groceries into their cars and cleaning windshields with spray bottles and paper towels, the outlet reported.
“I think the frustrating thing for us is we know this problem is solvable,” Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said.
“They should have federal dollars to help support them in the cities that they arrive in, and we should have a coordinated national plan for where these folks arrive,” Johnston said.