14 buses in one night | New York wants to limit migrants arriving by bus from Texas

The topic is politically hot in the United States, where Republicans, led by Donald Trump, but also some Democrats such as Eric Adams, accuse Joe Biden's government of not acting sufficiently to regulate immigration on the border with Mexico.

US diplomacy chief Antony Blinken urgently flew to Mexico City on Wednesday to try to find solutions with the Mexican government, as about 10,000 people a day tried to cross the southern US border illegally in recent weeks, nearly double the numbers recorded before the pandemic.

A caravan of thousands of migrants also left southern Mexico on Sunday in an attempt to reach the United States.

The mayor of New York, who issued the emergency decree, confirmed that “last week alone, 14 buses loaded with migrants arrived at night from the state of Texas, the largest number ever recorded in one night, in addition to hundreds of migrants who arrived via other transportation methods that day.” Wednesday.

The megacity of 8.5 million people, which has welcomed waves of migrants throughout its history, has seen the arrival of “more than 161,500 asylum seekers” since the spring of 2022, including more than 68,000 of whom are still supported by the city, the city hall notes. . The city has opened 214 sites, the vast majority at requested hotels, to accommodate emergency migrants.

These arrivals in particular are the result of a policy instituted by Greg Abbott, the Republican governor of Texas bordering Mexico, who has chartered buses or planes to send tens of thousands of migrants by bus or plane to cities controlled by Democrats.

Under Wednesday's emergency decree, companies must notify the city at least 32 hours in advance of the arrival of buses chartered to transport migrants, and these buses must arrive at the same time. Between 8:30 AM and 12 PM, seven days a week.

“What we are saying to businesses is ‘don’t be complicit’ in Governor Abbott’s actions,” Eric Adams added. He emphasized that it is not a matter of “punishing” the migrants themselves, but that bus companies risk fines and legal action if they do not adhere to the new rules.

On Wednesday, the council member met with his Democratic counterparts from Chicago and Denver to once again ask for help from the federal government for Democrat Joe Biden. On December 15, the Democratic governor of Arizona accused this administration, in the hands of her party, of “refusing to do its job” in the face of the influx of migrants at her border.