Migrants taking trains from New Jersey to NYC after bus arrivals restricted: Officials

After New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) restricted bus arrivals last week in an effort to curb a surge of migrants, bus operators appear to have found a loophole by dropping migrants off at a New Jersey train station from which they can continue on into the city.

Under an executive order announced last week, Adams is requiring bus operators who are aware they are transporting migrants with fares paid for “by a third party” to provide the city with notice at least 32 hours ahead of their anticipated arrival. However, New Jersey officials say bus drivers have found a way around the new restrictions by dropping off the migrants at Secaucus Junction Train Station — about a 15-minute ride from New York City. 

Tyler Jones, a spokesperson from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) office, said bus operators are also dropping off migrants at train stations throughout the state.

“Our Administration has tracked the recent arrival of a handful buses of migrant families at various NJ TRANSIT train stations,” Jones said in a statement to The Hill. “New Jersey is primarily being used as a transit point for these families — all or nearly all of them continued with their travels en route to their final destination of New York City.”

“We are closely coordinating with our federal and local partners on this matter, including our colleagues across the Hudson,” he added.

New York City has been inundated by arrivals of migrants over the last year, with the mayor’s office saying the city has taken in more than 160,000 asylum-seekers so far. Adams has repeatedly called on the federal government to assist the city, saying that the influx is too much for it to handle.

Republican-led states have been busing migrants to Democratic-led cities over the past year as the country grapples with how to deal with the migrant crisis. Adams’s executive order last week aimed to limit the number of bus arrivals in the city from states such as Texas and Florida.

Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli suggested that the restrictions placed by Adams may be too strict.

“It seems quite clear the bus operators are finding a way to thwart the requirements of the Executive Order by dropping migrants at the train station in Secaucus and having them continue to their final destination,” Gonnelli said in a statement.

“Perhaps the requirements Mayor Adams put in place are too stringent and are resulting in unexpected consequences as it seems the bus operators have figured out a loophole in the system in order to ensure the migrants reach their final destination, which is New York City,” Gonnelli added.

A spokesperson for New York City Hall blasted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for continuing to bus migrants to the city in a statement to The Hill. The spokesperson said New York City is also encouraging other cities in the nearby area to “take similar executive action” like Adams did. 

“But instead of joining us in treating human beings humanely, Texas Governor Greg Abbott continues to treat asylum seekers like political pawns, and is instead now dropping families off in surrounding cities and states in the cold, dark of night with train tickets to travel to New York City, just like he has been doing in Chicago in response to their similar executive order,” the spokesperson said. 

“This is exactly why we have been coordinating with surrounding cities and counties since before issuing our order to encourage them to take similar executive action to protect migrants against this cruelty,” the spokesperson added.

The Hill has reached out to Abbott’s office for comment.

Updated at 2:31 p.m.