During his visit to Manhattan, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) delivered a speech in which he commended New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) for their efforts in urging President Biden to take further action regarding the migrant situation.
In his speech, Abbott called on New York officials for their support in urging President Biden to reinstate previous immigration laws and adopt a more stringent stance to curb the influx of undocumented immigrants at the border.
Texas Gov. Abbott makes rare NYC stop where he lauds Dems Adams, Hochul for pressuring Biden on migrant crisis https://t.co/dUH74J5ycI
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 28, 2023
Referring to Adams, Abbott said of the crisis, “This is unsustainable, and those are the words of your mayor.”
The Roosevelt Hotel, which currently accommodates thousands of immigrants transported by Abbott from Texas to New York, is conveniently located across the street from the city’s migrant reception facility.
Abbott emphasized that he has thus far relocated 15,800 migrants, a figure unchallenged by the city in public statements.
Abbott said, “What is going on in New York is calm and organized compared to the real chaos from what we see on the border. Not every day but every hour of every day.”
Nevertheless, the sources of the remaining 102,000 migrants who have arrived since last year remain uncertain.
City officials have refrained from providing transparent responses or granting access to any database that might track these migrants’ origins and details.
As an example, Adams criticized federal authorities just last week for claiming that 40% of migrants in the city’s shelter system are Venezuelan and eligible for work permits. He even used a whiteboard to assert that only 9,500 migrants meet the eligibility criteria.
Adams said, “I just want to go over some very clear numbers so we can have some accurate reporting because I think there was a lack of clarity on the numbers.”
Despite initially asserting that they had only interviewed 70% of the migrants under their care, the city reversed its stance on Wednesday, now asserting that a minimum of 22,000 refugees are of Venezuelan origin.
Municipal authorities proceeded to announce their plans to circulate pamphlets among migrants, targeting those within the city as well as those at the border.
These posters will reportedly communicate to undocumented immigrants that they won’t be provided with hotel accommodations, emphasize the high cost of living in New York and clarify that the city won’t facilitate their obtaining work visas.
