New York City initiated legal proceedings on Thursday, January 4, 2024, by filing a lawsuit against 17 bus companies, alleging their involvement in the illicit transportation of over 33,000 migrants from Texas to the city. The lawsuit asserts that this activity was part of a concerted effort by the Republican governor of Texas to expel individuals who had crossed the U.S.-Mexico border without legal authorization.
In the complaint, submitted to a New York state court in Manhattan, the city is seeking compensation amounting to $708 million. This sum purportedly represents the expenses incurred by the city over the past two years in providing shelter and services to the aforementioned migrants.
Notably, the state of Texas is not named as a defendant in this legal action. Instead, the lawsuit identifies 17 charter bus companies, primarily Texas-based, that had contracted with the state to transport migrants. These companies, characterized as small entities lacking designated press relations offices, were unavailable for immediate comment.
The legal action is grounded in an accusation that the bus companies violated a 19th-century New York law mandating that anyone transporting a person in need of government assistance from another state to New York must cover associated expenses. The city contends that these companies knowingly transported migrants requiring shelter and services, earning millions of dollars in the process. The lawsuit further alleges that these companies extended their activities to transport tens of thousands more migrants to various U.S. cities, including Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Additionally, the lawsuit claims that some of the bus companies contravened an order from New York City Mayor Eric Adams, which stipulated that operators must notify the city if they are transporting 10 or more passengers likely to seek emergency shelter.
The origin of this legal dispute can be traced back to actions undertaken by Texas Governor Greg Abbott in 2022. Responding to surging numbers of migrants illegally crossing the border, Abbott initiated the transportation of migrants to New York and other cities led by Democratic administrations. Governor Abbott has been critical of President Joe Biden’s response to the escalating border crossings and has implemented measures to discourage illegal migration.
In response to the lawsuit, Governor Abbott issued a statement dismissing it as baseless. He asserted that every migrant transported to New York City did so voluntarily, having been authorized by the Biden Administration to remain in the United States. Abbott maintained that migrants possess a constitutional right to travel across the country.
(Reuters)
