The New York Police Department was seen pulling over and ticketing buses that carried migrants from the border in Texas to the self-declared sanctuary city over the weekend.
A team of NYPD Highway Patrol officers on Friday waited near the Port Authority to pull over four buses that had just dropped off dozens of migrants at around 6:15 a.m., according to a report from the New York Post.
The officers reportedly spent around an hour meticulously searching each bus for any possible infractions, including tire treads, fluid levels, and even windshield wiper placement, the Post reported.
Some of the bus drivers were given tickets and court appearances but were ultimately allowed to drive off.
An unnamed law enforcement source told the Post that the pulling over and ticketing of the buses was part of an effort by NYC Mayor Eric Adams to disrupt the flow of migrants being sent to his city from the border.
“Nothing is too minor to take them out of service,” the unnamed law enforcement source told the Post of Friday’s operation, adding that it is expected to continue.
“The mayor is desperate,” the source is quoted as saying, suggesting it was directly ordered by Mayor Adams.
On Monday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott criticized Adams for the ticketing of bus drivers.
“This is another pathetic ploy by Mayor Adams to stop Texas from busing migrants to his self-declared sanctuary city,” a spokesperson for Gov. Abbott’s office told Fox News. “Each bus used by the State of Texas for this busing mission undergoes thorough Texas Department of Public Safety Commercial Vehicle inspections before departing for sanctuary cities.”
Abbott’s spokesperson added that Adams should stop “selectively attacking Texas’ busing operation” and call on President Biden “to take immediate action to secure the border – something the President continues failing to do.”
Gov. Abbott has bused thousands of migrants to New York, Washington D.C., and Chicago in an effort intended to bring attention to border towns being overwhelmed. Since August, Gov. Abbott’s state-sponsored busing operation has sent over 3,100 migrants to New York City.
But the busing is a bipartisan effort, with the Democratic mayor of El Paso, Texas, sending more migrants to New York City than Abbott.
El Paso has bused at least 7,330 migrants to New York City since August 23.
NYPD Chief of Department Ken Corey emphasized that the buses were stopped for checks only after they had dropped off the latest round of migrants.
“We did not stop buses carrying passengers — no one was detained or inconvenienced other than the drivers,” he said.
“They were inspected to ensure that they were in compliance with federal regulations and that the drivers themselves were in compliance with federal regulations,” he continued. “Those were addressed through the issuance of summonses, and the buses continued on their way.”
At a press briefing, Mayor Adams did not deny knowing about the ticketing operation, saying he constantly works with the NYPD to “clamp down on any dangerous situation.”
Adams insisted that his City was “not going to target any specific bus operations” but would “make sure that the asylum seekers and our people on our roads are safe.
“And so, the New York City Police Department and whatever entity is being used, I’m hoping they are out there doing their job correctly, because we’re concerned about the safety of asylum seekers and the safety of New Yorkers,” he said.
Last week, Adams declared a state of emergency, calling the influx of migrants a “humanitarian crisis” that is “unsustainable” and will likely cost the City $1 billion by the end of this fiscal year.
