The Republican governor of Texas has placed migration issues at the heart of his campaign for his re-election. And Greg Abbott has engaged in a standoff with the Democrats on the subject. He decided to charter buses to transport migrants who entered the United States illegally to Democratic strongholds: Washington since April and now also New York.
“ New York is the ideal destination for these migrants “, declared Friday August 5 Greg Abbott. They could “ enjoy all the hospitality services of a sanctuary city boasted by the mayor “, quipped the conservative elected while the democratic leaders of the metropolis pride themselves on leading a city which has been able to integrate different waves of immigration.
In April, Greg Abbott had started this showdown with Washington, the federal capital. He chartered hundreds of buses to the city. Since Friday, August 5, buses have also made the connection to New York and the elected Democrats of the two cities denounce the use of migrants as “ political pawns by the Governor of Texas.
Request for federal aid to manage the influx of migrants
The New York City Municipality deployed staff and volunteers to the Manhattan bus station to accommodate these buses. But the Mayor Eric Adams asks for support from the federal state. His colleague from Washington had done the same in July, judging that these arrivals had created a “ humanitarian crisis “. And to strike back at Greg Abbott, the mayor of New York is also threatening to charter buses: he plans to take New Yorkers to Texas to campaign against governor seeking re-election.
.@GregAbbott_TX used innocent people as political pawns to manufacture a crisis. New Yorkers are stepping up to fix it — that’s our city’s values.
But we need the federal government’s help — money, technical assistance and more. pic.twitter.com/cOdXrULpcC
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) August 7, 2022