The mayor of New York City blamed Republican governors for what he called an “American crisis” and “humanitarian crisis” in the sanctuary city as it grapples with migrants arriving from Texas.
Appearing on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday, host Jonathon Karl asked Mayor Eric Adams (D) what President Joe Biden’s administration was doing for the city. Karl pointed out that Adams has previously said New York was “overwhelmed” by illegal immigrants recently bused there, even though the numbers pale in comparison to what Texas and other border states have experienced.
“These migrants and asylum seekers are not coming to any particular city, they’re coming to America,” the mayor asserted, adding, “This is an American crisis that we need to face – a humanitarian crisis that were made by human hands by some of the governors in our southern states.”
"This is an American crisis that we need to face—a humanitarian crisis that were made by human hands by some of the governors in our southern states,” NYC Mayor Eric Adams tells @jonkarl as migrants sent on buses north by GOP leaders. https://t.co/gQfsonrNm4 pic.twitter.com/LoIHZ9GqZ2
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 18, 2022
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) office has claimed that the state has sent more than 10,000 illegal immigrants to the sanctuary cities of Washington, D.C., New York, and Chicago since April. Abbott isn’t alone in the strategy, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) transported 50 migrants to Martha’s Vineyard last week, prompting a quick response from the island. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey (R) has also bused nearly 2,000 migrants to D.C. in four months, KOLD News 13 reported.
Mayor Adams stated in a press release last week that New York City is “nearing its breaking point” and said officials there expect thousands more illegal immigrants to arrive in the coming weeks. He also accused the Republican governors of playing an “unproductive game of gotcha.”
“How is it that New York City is overwhelmed when it’s a fraction of what we’re seeing on the border?” Karl asked Adams.
The mayor called for more coordination between him and the governors regarding the busing strategy, requesting sponsors. Adams has long called for New York to stay a sanctuary city, tweeting last year while on the campaign trail that “New York City will remain a sanctuary city under an Adams administration.”
"We should protect our immigrants." Period.
Yes, New York City will remain a sanctuary city under an Adams administration. #EricOnNBC
— Eric Adams (@ericadamsfornyc) October 20, 2021
Karl asked Adams whether he thought New York’s sanctuary policies might be attracting illegal border crossers, to which Adams replied, “No, not at all.”
Citing the Biden administration’s lax border policies and failure to secure the border, Abbott said in an interview with Fox News on Friday that “if they will not go to the border, we’re taking the border to them.” The governor added that returning to Trump-era border policies would decrease unlawful crossings, thus eliminating the need to transport illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities.
Adams’ criticism of the Republican governors comes as the mayor of El Paso, a Democrat, has defended his city busing migrants to New York under a 16-month, $2 million contract, The Daily Wire previously reported.