New York City Mayor Eric Adams' plan to better coordinate migrant buses arriving in the city is not going very well.

Buses have started dropping migrants off in New Jersey instead of New York in an attempt to skirt a new bus rule that requires advance notice and information about those on board.


What You Need To Know

  • New York City Mayor Eric Adams called Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a "bully" Tuesday for dropping off migrants in New Jersey instead of New York
  • The new unexpected migrant buses in New Jersey come as buses skirt new protocols created by Adams
  • A new executive order requires buses to give the city 32 hours of advance notice, provide information about those on board and arrive between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and noon
  • Adams claimed Abbott is trying to create "disruption" and "chaos" amid the city's ongoing influx of migrants

Adams said the problem is not the bus operators, but those sending the migrants, like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican.

“We’re dealing with a person that just wants to disrupt. This is not about raising the attention on an issue. This is a mean-spirited way of using people and disrupting municipalities,” Adams said.

Last week, Adams issued an executive order that stipulated new rules for buses arriving with migrants. Some of those rules include migrants needing to arrive between 8:30 a.m. and noon and a 32-hour notice being given to the city.

Under the executive order, migrants who make it to New York still have a right to receive services and a bed.

City Hall officials told NY1 that not a single bus has followed the new rules as of Tuesday. The mayor placed blame squarely on Abbott for the unexpected migrant arrivals.

“This is a diabolical plan by this governor, and we’re going to have to respond based on what he’s doing,” Adams said. “We’re going to pivot and shift and be prepared to send the right message to these bus operators. You should not participate in the actions of Gov. Abbott.”

Adams went on to call Abbott a “bully.” The mayor said city officials are exploring all of their legal options to stop the New Jersey drop-offs, including getting police officers from New York and New Jersey involved.

“This is new territory, and we are looking over every authority that we have,” Adams said.

Adams said he has a call planned with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy soon to talk about the evolving situation.

“New Jersey is primarily being used as a transit point for these families — all or nearly all of them continued with their travels en route to their final destination of New York City. We are closely coordinating with our federal and local partners on this matter, including our colleagues across the Hudson,” said Tyler Jones, a deputy press secretary for Murphy. 

As of this week, more than 168,000 migrants have arrived in the city since spring 2022.

“Until President [Joe] Biden steps up and does his job to secure the border, Texas will continue busing migrants to sanctuary cities to help our local partners respond to this Biden-made crisis,” Renae Eze, a spokesperson for Abbott, told NY1 on Tuesday.