NEW YORK -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was in New York City for a Republican gala on Thursday, facing criticism over the busing of migrants to our area.
The latest numbers released by Texas officials in March show the state has now transported more than 105,000 migrants to sanctuary cities since 2022, and the topic was front-and-center at Thursday's event.
"When we began the bussing operation, it was going to one location. It was there on purpose because, remember, up to this time, neither Joe Biden nor the border czar had actually been to the border to see the chaos they had caused," Abbott said.
Abbott, whose name has been floated as a possible vice president pick in the upcoming presidential election, wasted no time talking about the influx of migrants entering the country.
"We were sending them only to Washington, D.C., and quite literally out of nowhere, Mayor Adams starts criticizing me for sending them to New York City," Abbott said. "So after a while, I figured, gosh, if I'm gonna get the criticism, I'm gonna get the credit."
Recent Texas state data reveals that more than 105,000 migrants have been transferred to sanctuary cities since August 2022, with a significant portion of them, about 39,000 individuals, being bussed to New York. This accounts for over 20% of the total migrant population that has arrived in New York City since the previous spring.
Expressing his concern, Mayor Eric Adams stated, "I'm going to offer him a stay in one of the Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers, so he can see what he has created and understand how we are treating people with the dignity and respect that he should have shown." This statement was made by the Mayor on Thursday.
Mayor Adams has openly criticized Abbott for transferring the migrant crisis burden to other cities.
A protest took place outside the Hilton Hotel where a fundraiser was being held, with dozens of individuals participating.
Luba Cortes from Make the Road NY expressed, "We are protesting the entire GOP. Communities are gonna stand together to continue to say that immigrants are not political pawns." According to city officials, Abbott's team has not responded to any calls from the Adams administration after sending migrants to New York City.
