Gov. Greg Abbott visited New York on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing unlawful migrant crisis that has affected cities in both Texas and New York.
He spoke at a breakfast hosted by the Manhattan Institute, a right-leaning think tank, and defended his decision to bus unlawful migrants to sanctuary cities nationwide.
Abbott said the situation in New York City is not ideal but still much better than what is happening in Texas.
“What is going on in New York is calm and organized compared to the real chaos of what we see on the border — not every day, but every hour of every day,” he said.
The governor’s comments follow New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ claim earlier in September that the crisis “started with a madman down in Texas [who] decided he wanted to bus people up to New York City,” as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Abbott disagreed with Adams’ characterization, saying that the crisis is “something that is unsustainable” and that Texas should not be blamed for what is happening.
“The challenge that the City of New York and the State of New York are dealing with, it’s caused by one person: Joe Biden,” Abbott said. “Joe Biden can flip that switch any day and stop New York from having to deal with the consequences of an open border. … They must prevail upon their president for more than just money. They need a change in policy.”
Texas has bused more than 15,000 unlawful migrants to New York City, a fraction of the more than 116,000 that have arrived in the Big Apple since last spring.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul pushed back on Abbott’s statements at a press conference Wednesday, saying that she “will not be taking advice from Greg Abbott,” reported Politico.
“This is just pure politics what he is talking about. And if he’s genuine about solving the problem, don’t come to New York and grandstand. Go to Washington and meet with Speaker McCarthy and say you have the key in your hands to solving this problem,” Hochul said, per Politico.
In addition to affecting New York City, the influx of unlawful migrants entering the United States has had a major impact on towns along the Texas-Mexico border.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection told Fox News on Monday that there had been over 11,000 unlawful migrant encounters in the previous 24 hours, which was the “single highest day in recent memory,” as reported by The Dallas Express.
In an attempt to “depressurize” the situation at the border, Mexico and the United States came to an understanding in which Mexico agreed to deport unlawful migrants to their home countries prior to entering the United States, according to The Dallas Express.
It is still unclear when the process will officially begin, but Mexico told the United States that it is going to discuss the agreement with the governments of Venezuela, Brazil, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Cuba to make sure they are prepared to accept the arrivals.
