Bus company agrees to temporarily stop transporting migrants to NYC

NEW YORK -- One of 17 charter bus companies that Mayor Eric Adams sued for transporting busloads of asylum seekers to New York City has agreed to stop, for now. 

The lawsuit charges the charter bus companies with violating New York's Social Services Law by transporting the asylum seekers from Texas and leaving them in New York City without providing a means of support.  

• Link: Read the lawsuit (.pdf)

The mayor's office announced Wednesday that Roadrunners Charters, Inc. will no longer bus migrants to New York City or the surrounding area while the case is pending.

"New York City continues to do our part as we lead the nation in managing this national humanitarian crisis, but reckless political games from the state of Texas will not be tolerated. I am pleased to see that Roadrunner – one of the bus companies we sued for taking part in Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to our city in an attempt to overwhelm our shelter system and shift costs to New York City – has agreed to halt the bussing of migrants into and around New York City while the lawsuit proceeds. We call on all other bus companies involved in this suit to do the same," Adams said Wednesday.   

The lawsuit targets 17 bus companies and seeks approximately $708 million, alleging they have transported at least 33,600 migrants to New York City since the spring of 2022 without paying for their continued care. 

According to the suit, the companies engaged in "bad faith" conduct by doing so.

Texas has sent more than 95,000 migrants to so-called sanctuary cities, including New York, putting the city's shelter system at the breaking point. The city says it's up to the feds to help solve the financial problems triggered by the crisis.

"The money that we expend on migrants, immigrants, we should not be expending. It should come from the federal government. So if the federal government would kick in and do their part, do its part, then we would be in a much better place, you know, so we need help," said Ingrid Lewis Martin, chief advisor to Mayor Adams.

The state of Texas is a court battle with federal authorities over whether it can enforce border security on its own after it passed a local law.

"Texas has the legal authority to arrest people coming across the razor wire barriers on our border," Abbott said.

But now the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has decided to hear the case, after the United States Supreme Court temporarily allowed the Texas law to go into effect.

Federal authorities and advocacy groups insist immigration should remain a job for federal, not state, officers.

"Federal law has been clear that states have no business regulating who can come into the country and who has to leave. That is just the core of federal immigration power," said Spencer Amdur, with the American Civil Liberties Union.

It's not clear when the Fifth Circuit will rule.

In:
• Migrants

Jesse Zanger

Jesse Zanger is the managing editor of CBSNewYork.com.

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