New York City Mayor, Eric Adams, has announced a $708 million lawsuit against 17 charter bus and transportation companies bringing migrants to the city.
The big picture: The lawsuit is seeking to cover the costs incurred over the last 20 months for providing emergency shelter and services to migrants transported by the charter bus companies.
- The city claims that Texas Governor Abbott’s plan to transport tens of thousands of migrants to New York City is an attempt to overwhelm their social services system.
- The lawsuit aims to recoup the costs for migrants still in New York City’s care and for future migrants transported from Texas as part of Governor Abbott’s plan.
- The city accuses the bus companies of violating state law by not paying for the cost of caring for these migrants.
What they’re saying: “New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone,” Adams said in a statement.
- Abbott responded in a statement calling the lawsuit baseless.
- “It’s clear that Mayor Adams knows nothing about the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, or about the constitutional right to travel that has been recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Abbott said. “Every migrant bused or flown to New York City did so voluntarily, after having been authorized by the Biden Administration to remain in the United States. As such, they have constitutional authority to travel across the country that Mayor Adams is interfering with. If the Mayor persists in this lawsuit, he may be held legally accountable for his violations.”
