New York City is suing Texas-based transportation companies over migrant busing

The city is seeking more than $700 million in damages.

By Alexandra HartJanuary 5, 2024 1:27 pm, , ,

New York City is hitting back at Texas over Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant busing program.

The city on Thursday filed a suit against 17 transportation companies contracted with Texas to send migrants from border towns to New York City and other Democrat-led metropolises.

Abbot called the lawsuit baseless, and said all migrants transported to the cities were done so voluntarily. 

“New York’s Mayor Adams has, of course, been complaining about Abbott’s busing ever since it started in mid 2022,” said Matthew Watkins, managing editor for news and politics at the Texas Tribune. “There’s been very little he’s been able to do about it. So lately he’s been targeting the busing companies instead of Gov. Abbott.” 

New York City is seeking more than $700 million in damages, which is how much the city says it has spent to help the arriving migrants. 

Will that lawsuit succeed? It’s really hard to say. I wonder if maybe the intended goal might actually be to kind of scare the companies off from taking these trips, these assignments,” Watkins said. 

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