Buses to Stop Bringing Migrants Pending Lawsuit

(AP)

Roadrunner Charters agreed on Wednesday to stop the transportation of illegal migrants from Texas to New York City while a lawsuit is pending.

In December, the New York City Department of Social Services sued Roadrunner and 16 other bus companies for $708 million. Mayor Eric Adams had accused them of aiding Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his “bad faith” attempt to move illegal immigrants to New York City and the surrounding areas for the purpose of making a political statement, which has overwhelmed the city’s social services.

“New York City continues to do our part as we lead the nation in managing this national humanitarian crisis, but reckless political games from the state of Texas will not be tolerated. I am pleased to see that Roadrunner — one of the bus companies we sued for taking part in Texas Governor Abbott’s scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to our city in an attempt to overwhelm our shelter system and shift costs to New York City — has agreed to halt the busing of migrants into and around New York City while the lawsuit proceeds,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement. “We call on all other bus companies involved in this suit to do the same.”

Roadrunner attorney Robert Hantman told Politico on Wednesday that Adams should be directing his legal efforts at Texas and not the transportation companies. “Our client has nothing to do with the decision to move the migrants from Texas to New York, and they should not be a named party.”

Meanwhile, Abbott told Fox News Sunday that Mayor Adams should be focusing on the Biden administration. “The mayor sued the wrong party,” Abbott said. “If the mayor is really trying to cut down on the number of illegal immigrants coming into New York, he needs to be suing Joe Biden — not these bus companies, because it’s Joe Biden and Joe Biden’s policies that’s causing the massive, multimillion influx into the United States that leads to many of them wanting to go to New York.”

According to the official website for Abbott, Texas has transported more than 100,000 migrants to self-proclaimed sanctuary cities in what they’ve labeled Operation Lone Star, whose aim is to “fill the dangerous gaps created by the Biden administration’s refusal to secure the border.”