NEW YORK CITY – New York City has filed a lawsuit seeking over $700 million from Texas charter bus companies to cover the expenses incurred for housing and caring for migrants transported to the city. The lawsuit aims to cover past and future costs of migrants, with over 33,600 people having already been transported from Texas to New York City.
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has been grappling with ways to address the influx of buses bringing migrants to the city. The mayor hopes that the lawsuit will serve as a warning against future transports. In a statement, Adams emphasized that while New York City is committed to managing the humanitarian crisis, it cannot bear the costs of Texas Governor Abbott’s attempts to overwhelm their social services system.
In December, Mayor Adams issued an executive order that restricted the drop-off of migrants from charter buses to specific times and locations. Buses were only permitted to drop off migrants between 8:30 a.m. and noon on weekdays at West 41st Street by the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Failure to comply with the order would result in fines. The order also mandated a notice period of 32 hours before arrival.
To circumvent the order and exploit a perceived loophole, some charter buses were dropping off migrants in New Jersey cities before they boarded trains to New York City. The mayor of Secaucus confirmed this strategy. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s administration is collaborating with federal and local partners, including New York City, to address the situation.
In the lawsuit, New York City accuses the bus companies of acting in bad faith by profiting from transporting migrants to the city. Many of the companies being targeted in the lawsuit are the same ones that are evading compliance with the executive order by using New Jersey train stations.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York supports the city’s lawsuit. NBC New York has reached out to the bus companies named in the lawsuit and Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office for comments.
Overall, New York City seeks to recover more than $700 million from Texas charter bus companies to cover the costs of housing and caring for migrants transported to the city. The city aims to hold the bus companies accountable for their actions and prevent future attempts to overwhelm their social services system.