The last straw for the mayor was apparently Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to send buses to New Jersey train stations connecting to New York City to thwart an executive order​.

In a stunning and unexpected move to stop Texas Gov. Greg Abbott from shipping busloads of asylum seekers to New York City, Mayor Eric Adams has filed a lawsuit against 17 charter bus companies used by the Lone Star State.

He wants the bus companies to reimburse the city for the hundreds of millions of dollars it’s cost to shelter them.

Just call it the Empire State strikes back, with a bold counter punch to Abbott.

“New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the cost of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas, alone,” Adams said.

  • electric_nan@lemmy.ml
    521·
    1 year ago

    Look, fuck Texas, fuck Greg Abbott, buuutttt. This is a good move on his part. I am an “abolish borders” person, but that’s not the reality here (or anytime real soon). We have a humanitarian crisis on the southern border, and the country, collectively, should be sharing the burden (just as Europe should share it’s own similar burden).

    • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
      17·
      1 year ago

      They get federal funds specifically for this. They’re keeping the money and dumping the problem on other states.

        • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
          7·
          1 year ago

          That’s not how it works. Refugees aren’t criminals and they aren’t breaking any laws. Applying for asylum is 100% legal. They can’t be “spread around” any more than you can. That’s why NY is suing the bus companies.

          • electric_nan@lemmy.ml
            13·
            1 year ago

            I didn’t say they were criminals or breaking any laws. They can absolutely be spread around. There are already gov and NGO programs setup to do exactly this. We just need more of it. Right now, they are slow-walking claims processing, and making many people wait in shelters in Mexico. Others are kept for long periods in the infamous detention centers in Texas. Those are federal facilities. The feds could transport them anywhere in the country.

            • KevonLooney@lemm.ee
              6·
              1 year ago

              In the US, people who are not criminals in custody can’t be forced to move around the country against their will. Applying for asylum is like applying for a passport. It’s just a process of getting a certain ID. You can live wherever in the US while you wait.