Buses carrying migrants unload in N.J., skirting N.Y. mayor's executive order

Joe Fisher
·2 min read
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Bus operators transporting migrants from the southern U.S. border to New York City are skirting Mayor Eric Adams' executive order placing strict limits on new arrivals, according to a New Jersey official. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI
Bus operators transporting migrants from the southern U.S. border to New York City are skirting Mayor Eric Adams' executive order placing strict limits on new arrivals, according to a New Jersey official. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI
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Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Bus operators are circumventing New York Mayor Eric Adams' executive order limiting the arrival of migrants in the city by dropping off their passengers in suburban New Jersey, a local official says.

In a statement issued Sunday, Secaucus, N.J., Mayor Michael Gonnelli said at least four buses carrying migrants dropped them off at the train station in Secaucus over the weekend. The migrants then boarded trains into New York City.

Last week, Adams issued an executive order to regulate the busing of migrants into the city. The restrictions, which include requiring bus operators and third parties to contact the city's Office of Emergency Management in advance, are in response to an influx of migrants coming to the city. Some have been sent there by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Adams' executive order also limits the hours during which charter buses may drop off passengers.

"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. "Based on reports from the State Police this is now happening at train stations throughout the state."

Some of the many migrants who have been bused to New York from the southern U.S. border are shown sitting among their belongings and sleeping bags outside of a New York City hotel in February 2023. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE
Some of the many migrants who have been bused to New York from the southern U.S. border are shown sitting among their belongings and sleeping bags outside of a New York City hotel in February 2023. File Photo by Justin Lane/EPA-EFE

Gonnelli adds that New Jersey has a plan in place to address the situation. He also said Adams' restrictions may be "too stringent and are resulting in unexpected consequences."

"At this point in time it seems train tickets are being secured for the migrants and they have been making their way to their final destination," he said.

More than 161,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since spring 2022. Adams declared a state of emergency in October 2022.