Decryption | A Texas crisis in the heart of New York

(New York) Accompanied by a swarm of journalists, the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, waited for a bus full of migrants at Port Authority, the huge bus station in Manhattan, on August 7.

Richard Hetu
special collaboration

Only 14 got off, instead of the expected 40, with a number reportedly choosing to disembark elsewhere along the Texas-New York route.

But Eric Adams was no less angry with the Republican governor of Texas. Two days earlier, Greg Abbott had announced his intention to send buses full of migrants from the Texas border to the heart of the American metropolis.

“It’s unimaginable what the governor of Texas has done, when you think of this country, a country that has always been open to those fleeing persecution,” the Democratic mayor said as volunteers tended to immigrants. “We have always welcomed them. And this governor is not doing that in Texas. But we will lead by example by being there for these families. »

umpteenth confrontation

It was the umpteenth episode of an unusual confrontation between the mayor of New York and the governor of Texas whose migrants are paying the price. Confrontation which could contribute to the re-election of Greg Abbott in November and consolidate his status as a presidential candidate among the Republicans.

The governor of Texas started the controversy on April 13. That day, he promised to charter buses and send them, full of migrants, to Washington. He wanted to protest against Joe Biden’s decision to put an end to “Title 42”, the public health decree which allowed the immediate expulsion of migrants arrested at the border with Mexico on the pretext of the coronavirus pandemic.

“Texas is not meant to bear the brunt of the Biden administration’s failure to secure the border,” he said, announcing a policy that has led his state to bus thousands of migrants into the federal capital.

However, on July 19, Eric Adams said that Greg Abbott was not content to direct his buses filled with migrants to Washington. The mayor of New York then attributed the shortage of places in the city’s homeless shelters to the arrival of 2,800 asylum seekers “sent by the governments of Texas and Arizona” (this number has since exceeded the 4000, according to the City).

Greg Abbott denied Eric Adams’ assertion. But, on August 5, he said he would also charter buses to New York. He called the Big Apple “an ideal destination for these migrants, who can benefit from the abundance of municipal services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has bragged about in [sa] city ​​of refuge”.

Mocked indignation

Days later, the conservative governor poked fun at the New York mayor’s outrage on Fox News.

“It shows the hypocrisy of those liberal leaders in the Northeast who think the border crisis created by Joe Biden is okay as long as Texas has to deal with it,” he told the host. Sean Hanity.

Clearly, Greg Abbott believes this controversy benefits him. It certainly allows him to campaign on an issue he prefers — irregular immigration — rather than having to tackle issues that mobilize Democratic voters, including reproductive rights and the fallout from the elementary school shooting. Robb in Uvalde.

And Eric Adams seems to want to help him in his fight against his Democratic rival, Beto O’Rourke, who is trailing in the polls. Accusing Greg Abbott of using ‘innocent people as political pawns’, he threatened to send busloads of New Yorkers to Texas ‘to do some good ol’ door knocking because we need to replace him’ .

Last Wednesday, the Governor of Texas borrowed a famous line from Clint Eastwood: “Go ahead, Mayor, make my day. »

On the same day, three buses each carrying dozens of migrants arrived at Port Authority. Leidy, 28, got off one such bus with two children, Nicholas, 13, and Aria, 7. She told the Daily News having taken five days to travel from Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, to the Texas border.

“It’s a little easier to get in,” she told the New York daily. “It’s a little easier to be here. Because before, it was very, very difficult, and even more so with children. But now, if you come with the kids, it’s easier. »

She said she accepted a free passage to New York, believing she could find a job there, something she thought was impossible in Bogotá, where the cost of living is skyrocketing.