Mayor Adams pushes back as Texas sends more than 4,000 immigrants to NYC

New York City officials estimated that more than 4,000 immigrants seeking asylum have arrived in the city from Texas, including busloads of immigrants who are at the center of a political showdown initiated by Gov. Greg Abbott.

As part of what has been dubbed Operation Lone Star, Abbott included New York alongside Washington, D.C. as destination cities for chartered buses filled with asylum-seeking immigrants, many of whom are attempting to reach other cities. Democrats, including those from the targeted cities, have described the initiative as a dangerous political stunt.

“This is horrific when you think about what [Abbot] is doing,” Mayor Eric Adams said at a Port Authority press conference on Sunday, when he greeted a bus of asylum-seekers. “New York is a city that has always represented democratic values. Showing our values. That’s what we’re doing today.”