The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- Donna Robert
Migrants from Southern states are arriving en masse at New Jersey train stations in an apparent attempt to evade New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ limits on when and how migrants can arrive in the city.
Officials in Jersey City said they were waiting for guidance from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on how to proceed in the latest instance of blue-state leaders grappling with planes and busloads of migrants from Texas and other border states who say they’re sick of grappling with the influx on their own.
Officials in Jersey City, posting on X, said nearly 400 migrants had arrived at train stations in Secaucus, Fanwood, Edison Trenton over the weekend.
Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli noted that Mr. Adams, a Democrat, requires bus operators to notify his city of arrivals at least 32 hours in advance and drop off migrants only between 8:30 a.m. and noon on weekdays.
“It seems quite clear the bus operators are finding a way to thwart the requirements of the executive order by dropping migrants at the train station in Secaucus and having them continue to their final destination,” Mr. Gonnelli said.
Texas says it has bused more than 33,000 migrants to the Big Apple since August 2022 in an attempt to pressure liberal sanctuary cities and states to accept the burden of the migrant surge.
The New Jersey end-run coincides with efforts by House Republicans and President Biden to negotiate a border-operations funding.
Mr. Biden included funding in a security package for Israel and Ukraine, but Republicans say the administration isn’t taking border security seriously.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans will visit the border at Eagle Pass, Texas, on Wednesday to see the migrant crisis firsthand. They will meet with state and local leaders to discuss border security, a topic that will be prominent in the 2024 election cycle.
The issue is a major one for Republicans, who say Mr. Biden is asleep at the wheel while illegal immigrants flow into the nation unchecked. The White House says it takes border security seriously and needs reforms and funding from Congress.
Yet Democratic leaders in the Northeast also have criticized the administration as they buckle from the strain of housing the migrants or finding them jobs.
Mr. Adams recently said 14,700 migrants arrived within the prior month, including record overnight arrivals. He responded by threatening chartered buses with impoundment if they did not adhere to limits on arrival times, leading to the end-run in New Jersey.
“I have been advised the State of New Jersey has a plan in place and we will be working closely with the Governor’s office, all law enforcement agencies, and the County to monitor this situation,” said Mr. Gonnelli, in Secaucus. “We will continue to monitor this situation closely.”
