Mayor Eric Adams accuses Texas governor of playing racial politics by continuing to send asylum seekers to Black-run cities
NEW YORK -- There is another war of words between Mayor Eric Adams and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
The mayor insists the asylum seeker crisis is about race for the Republican governor.
Forced to cope with a flood of asylum seekers, and with city services taxed to the max, Adams fired his big bazookas once again at Abbott on Tuesday, accusing him of using those coming to America as political pawns and, more explosively, of playing racial politics.
"I cannot ignore the fact that Gov. Abbott sent migrants only to cities where there are Black mayors and it's undermining our cities," Adams said.
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With more than 59,000 asylum seekers in New York City, the mayor says the facts are indisputable.
"Gov. Abbott sent asylum seekers to New York, Black mayor; to Washington, Black mayor; to Houston, Black mayor; to Los Angeles, Black mayor; to Denver, Black mayor. He passed over thousands of cities to land here," Adams said.
The mayor also released a statement calling Abbott inhumane.
"Last year, Abbott bused migrants to New York against their will, reportedly had security guards hold them hostage on buses when they tried to get off in other cities, shipped them off while sick and COVID positive, and tagged individuals with barcodes," the mayor said.
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New York City has opened some 116 emergency shelters and eight humanitarian emergency response shelters to house the asylum seekers, who have also been sent here by the governor of Arizona and the mayor of El Paso, Texas. Many have also arrived on their own.
A spokesman for Abbott took issue with the charge that the asylum seekers were sent against their will, saying they signed consent agreements.
"Instead of spreading falsehoods and complaining about a few thousand migrants bused into his sanctuary city, Mayor Adams should call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border," the spokesman said.
A City Hall spokesman told CBS2 that more buses from Texas are expected at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Wednesday. The mayor also slammed the irresponsibility of the White House for not addressing the problem.
