Abbott calls out Adams for sending migrants to Florida, Texas, China

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is calling out New York City Mayor Eric Adams for his “hypocrisy” for continuing to advocate the city’s so-called sanctuary city status for illegal foreign nationals while also sending them to 34 states and four countries.

“Shocking hypocrisy & duplicity by NY Mayor Adams is exposed,” Gov. Abbott tweeted, linking to a Politico report. “When he called me inhumane & racist for sending migrants to New York, he was sending migrants to China, South America & Texas. NY is not the sanctuary city it claims – it's a shipping center.”

In addition to attempting to send \asylum seekers to surrounding counties and being sued for it, Adams directed the city to spend roughly $50,000 to transport 114 households to all over the country and world, according to a new Politico report.

Just last month, Adams criticized Abbott, saying he was “deciding to play politics with people's lives” through Texas’ busing strategy. He also accused Abbott of “targeting five cities run by Black mayors. Put plainly, Abbott is using this crisis to hurt Black-run cities."

Abbott’s office responded at the time saying Adams' accusations were “lies” and duplicitous.

The Center Square has also reported that the Democratic-run city of El Paso has sent far more illegal foreign nationals to New York City and Chicago than the state of Texas has.

According to a response to a Freedom of Information Request submitted by Politico, from April 2022 to April 2023, New York City “resettled” 28 families to Florida, 14 to Texas and others to 32 other states. The city also paid for their transportation to China, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, according to the report.

Adams said Abbott transporting people to other cities was “morally bankrupt,” and maintains that other New York counties should take those the city can’t house. The counties sued, arguing they aren’t sanctuary counties, don’t have to do what Adams tells them to do, and he doesn’t have jurisdiction over their counties.

Adams has also argued those arriving in New York City don’t want to be there and were “compelled” to go there.

Nearly 80,000 illegal foreign nationals have arrived in New York City since President Joe Biden took office. Roughly 25% of them have arrived through transportation arranged in Texas.

Since last August, roughly 8,200 knowingly and willfully signed waivers to receive Texas taxpayer-funded transportation to New York City through Abbott’s busing operation, according to the governor's office. Nearly 14,000 arrived through transportation arranged by the city of El Paso, funded by the federal government. El Paso officials say those arriving at its migrant welcome center specifically say they want to go to New York City and Chicago, noting the cities are their top two destinations of choice.

Texas began its busing strategy last April to “provide much needed relief to border communities” by busing people north who’d illegally entered the U.S. and were unlawfully released into Texas, Abbott says.

In 14 months, Texas has sent more than 500 buses to now six Democratic-controlled and self-described sanctuary cities, totaling over 21,000 people.

By contrast, last month, which was a lighter month than previous months, Border Patrol agents reported over 130,000 foreign nationals who they apprehended or documented evading capture after they illegally entered in the Rio Grande Valley, Del Rio and El Paso regions of the state.

Since January 2021, between over 4,000 to over 6,000 foreign nationals have illegally entered Texas alone a month. Texas, which shares the largest border with Mexico of 1,254 miles, has borne the brunt of illegal immigration and Biden administration policies, Abbott argues.