Mayor Eric Adams: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's policy of busing migrants to New York City is "un-American"
NEW YORK -- The New York City Council will hold a hearing Tuesday addressing the recent arrival of migrants who are being bussed from Texas and now need a place to stay.
Already struggling with a homeless crisis of its own, city leaders are scrambling to find room for them.
The City Council's Committee on General Welfare is holding an oversight hearing to examine long-standing city shelter intake problems.
According to a committee report, "The recent increase in unhoused immigrants seeking asylum has highlighted existing challenges within the shelter system."
This comes as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott warns more will be on the way.
"Texas will send buses to Washington D.C. & New York City until Biden does his constitutional duty & secures our border," he tweeted Monday night.
Mayor Eric Adams blasted Abbott, saying the Republican is using migrants as political pawns.
"Be a true American, man! I don't think anything is more un-American than shipping people on buses for a 45-hour trip without any basic needs," Adams said Monday.
The mayor greeted two bus loads of migrants this weekend after they arrived at the Port Authority Bus Terminal with no resources and no direction.
City services were on hand to assist with food and housing, including, the mayor confirmed Monday, providing shelter at city hotels.
"It is unconscionable that a governor would use human beings as political pawns in his chess game to score political points," Gov. Kathy Hochul said.
Abbott has been sending busloads of migrants to Democratic cities across the country in a defiant challenge to President Joe Biden's open border policy.
In response to Adams calling the move "horrific," Abbott tweeted, "Did he say it was 'horrific' when Biden flew plane loads into New York? Nope! Horrific is Biden's policy of letting in ~ 2 million illegal immigrants. The NY mayor has no idea how horrific it really is."
The mayor said the city is preparing for possibly 50 to 100 migrants arriving each day.
Immigration attorney Renata Castro said nothing in the law stops the migrants from traveling back down to Texas. She said she thinks the governor might be shooting himself in the foot long term, sending away workers who are often willing to do manual labor.
"He has to deal with labor shortages that are already critical in the agricultural industry," Castro said. "Pushing them away is not good business for Texas."
Adams is actively seeking financial support from the White House, as New York is already struggling with a homeless crisis of its own. He said the administration seems "open and receptive" to helping New York help those in need.
Abbott has also been sending busloads of migrants to Washington D.C.