New York City Mayor Eric Adams sharply rebuked Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday, saying the southern leader's ultimate goal is fomenting instability as he busses migrants around the country.
Adams said during a press conference that Abbott "just wants to create chaos" as he uses "people as pawns" to serve his own agenda.
"We're dealing with a person who just wants to disrupt. This is not about raising the attention on an issue. This is a mean-spirited way of using people and disrupting municipalities, not only in this region, but in other parts of the entire country," he added.
Adams' executive order meant to organize migrant arrivals in New York City went into effect Friday. It mandates that bus arrivals only take place between 8.30 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday and requires charter companies to provide 32-hour notice prior to any arrivals.
The mayor has previously warned that New York City is facing an "unprecedented humanitarian crisis" due to the ongoing bussing of tens of thousands of migrants from Republican-led states, most notably Texas. Adams has appealed to the federal government to provide more resources to help cope with the crisis.
Those individuals have then sought services, including shelter, from New York City authorities, which they are required to provide under the law as asylum claims are processed.
Dozens of charter busses had been arriving in New York City each week, many at odd hours of the night and on weekends and in varying locations across the U.S.'s most populous city.
In order to circumvent the restrictions, some charter companies have begun dropping migrants off in neighboring New Jersey, where people have reportedly been taking trains to reach New York City.
