New York City accepted two buses carrying migrants on Sunday and is expecting 10 to 15 more buses in the coming days as it grapples with an expected influx of asylum seekers due to the lifting of pandemic measures that turned people away at the southern U.S. border.
An email sent to city council members and obtained by CNN said the city’s shelter system is nearing capacity and they should brace for new arrivals when Title 42 is lifted.
“Please be advised that due to the lifting of Title 42 later this week, the city is expecting a higher amount of asylum-seekers buses beginning today, with 2 buses today and 10-15 more expected in the next few days,” the email said.
The courts have tossed aside attempts by Republican-led states to keep Title 42 in place instead of allowing it to be lifted Wednesday. Already, places like El Paso, Texas, are seeing a huge surge in migrants.
For months, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other Southern governors have been busing migrants to Northeast locales like New York, saying places that advertise themselves as sanctuaries should be willing to absorb the influx of people.
They hope the burden-shifting will be a wake-up call for the Biden administration to clamp down at the border.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams declared a state of emergency in October over the “man-made humanitarian crisis” and requested federal money to help him cope with the influx.
The mayor of Denver, Colorado, declared an emergency last week as his city grapples with new arrivals.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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