New York City Mayor Eric Adams Files Lawsuit Against 17 Transportation Companies for Transporting Asylum-Seekers from Texas
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced a lawsuit against 17 bus and transportation companies, seeking $708 million in costs related to the care of asylum-seekers sent to the city by Texas as it deals with major budget issues surrounding the crisis.
The city is seeking to recover the costs incurred in caring for the migrants and medical services.
“New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone,” Adams said in a statement. “Today, we are taking legal action against 17 companies that have taken part in Texas Governor [Greg] Abbott’s scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to New York City in an attempt to overwhelm our social services system.”
According to the lawsuit, the transportation companies violated the New York Social Services law by not paying the cost of caring for these migrants, essentially making the state of New York shoulder the financial burden.
New York City has been struggling to keep up with the financial burden of tens of thousands of migrants coming into the city since Abbott began Operation Lone Star. Abbott stated that the state had sent “over 33,600” migrants to New York City since August 2022.
The transportation companies named in the lawsuit include: Buckeye Coach, Carduan Tours, Classic Elegance Coaches, Coastal Crew Change Company, Ejecutivo Enterprises, El Paso United Charters, Garcia and Garcia Enterprises, JY Charter Bus, Lily’s Bus Lines, Mayo Tours, Norteno Express, Roadrunner Charters, Southwest Crew Change Company, Transportes Regiomontanos, VLP Charter, Windstar Lines, and Wynne Transportation.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also stood in support of the lawsuit, reaffirming that companies should take responsibility for their role in the ongoing crisis.
Adams and Hochul have each repeatedly pressed for support from the federal government to deal with the costs of migrants arriving in the city.
In response to the crisis, Adams announced a new executive order in late December that would improve coordination from charter bus companies transporting new migrant arrivals into New York City, ensuring the safety and well-being of both migrants and city staff receiving them.
In an interview with “Nightline” in August 2022, Abbott had accused Adams of “playing politics” and called him a “hypocrite.” Adams had responded to those accusations, stating that while New York City is a sanctuary city that is welcoming to immigrants, the cost of caring for them should not be borne by the city alone.
The news comes amidst a record 302,000 migrant encounters at the southern border in December, according to Customs and Border Protection.
The lawsuit has yet to be reviewed by the county clerk, and the defendants have not commented on the lawsuit. ABC News’ Mark Osborne contributed to this report.