The ongoing saga between Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and the mayors of the blue cities to which he is sending busloads of illegal immigrants has been one of the more entertaining stories in politics. New York City Mayor Eric Adams became a rather vocal critic of the practice ever since the Abbott Express showed up in the Big Apple, but now it seems he hopes to use this debacle to his advantage. The mayor sent a delegation on a “fact-finding” endeavor to the southern border ostensibly to make it appear as if he cares about the ongoing crisis.
Eric Adams Sets Out to Find ‘Facts’
The staffers sent by Adams’ office met with Border Patrol officials in Eagle Pass, Texas, which is located in the Rio Grande area, a hotspot for illegal immigrant crossings. The mayor’s team issued a statement claiming that Gov. Abbott’s people have been “unresponsive” and that they are turning the issue “into a political sideshow.”
“We’ve sent members of the team down on a fact-finding mission to hear directly from folks on the ground along the southern border and get the real answers we’re not getting from Texas, including whether they are sending asylum seekers to New York City even if they prefer to go elsewhere,” according to Fabian Levy, Adams’ press secretary. “Here in New York, we will continue to welcome asylum seekers with open arms,” he continued, “as we learn more about the process, meet with real partners, and see, firsthand, the reportedly inhumane conditions in which asylum seekers are being subjected to by the state of Texas.”
Fox News reported:
“A source familiar with the visit told Fox News that the delegation’s trip included a tour of Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) new temporary processing facility in Eagle Pass, which is currently packed with migrants and can house up to 1,000 people. Migrants typically stay at the facility for less than 72 hours during processing before they’re either released or deported.”
Texas has bused about 1,900 illegal immigrants to New York City starting in August. Washington, DC, has received over 7,000 migrants, and Gov. Abbott recently expanded the initiative to Chicago, much to Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s consternation.
Greg Abbott (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
Abbott’s office on Tuesday reaffirmed that the governor’s invitation for Eric Adams to come to the border in person still stands.
“Governor Abbott’s invitation is still open for Mayor Adams to come visit our southern border and see firsthand the devastating impacts of the Biden-made crisis on border towns smaller than a NYC borough — instead of sending his staffers on a secret trip to Texas,” press secretary Renae Eze observed.
Adams Blames NYC Woes on Abbott Express
While Mayor Adams has sharply criticized Gov. Abbott for the political stunt, like any shrewd politician, he is using the matter to deflect criticism on an issue with which his administration is failing: homelessness.
According to a report from Politico:
“New York City’s sprawling network of homeless shelters are bursting at the seams as rents skyrocket, evictions accelerate and a new mandate from Mayor Eric Adams pushes homeless people out of the subway system and off the streets.
“But the mayor, a moderate Democrat who took office in January, isn’t blaming those factors for causing the shelter crisis, which began months ago. Instead, he’s deflecting, suggesting New Yorkers should look to Texas, to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and his decision to bus migrants from towns near the border to Washington and, now, New York.”
Eric Adams (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images)
However, some have asserted that Eric Adams’ claims have a tenuous relationship with the truth and have also accused him of essentially ignoring the matter. Joshua Goldfein, a lawyer working with the Legal Aid Society’s Homeless Rights Project, said, “It was no mystery to anyone that people were going to be losing their homes and becoming homeless this summer in increased numbers beyond the usual summer surge.”
“We have no evidence that what we’re seeing right now is purely a result of the asylum-seekers,” he added. “What we’re seeing is a result of the city’s failure to plan.”
Adams might believe he can turn the busing of migrants to his advantage, but no level of shrewd politicking appears likely to satisfy his critics – or to deflect attention from his own administration’s failings.