Texas governor accuses New York mayor of ‘spreading falsehoods’ about bused migrants

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) office accused New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) of “spreading lies” about bused immigrants sent to a handful of cities around the country.

“Mayor Adams is once again spreading falsehoods and outright lies,” Abbott spokesperson  Andrew Mahaleris said in a statement to The Hill. “He knows full well these migrants willingly chose to go to New York City, since his staff saw firsthand on their secret trip to Texas last year as migrants raised their hands to go on buses to his sanctuary city.”

This statement comes in response to Adams’s criticism of Abbott’s move to resume busing migrants to five cities led by Black mayors, including New York City, across the United States starting on Monday. Adams said in a statement Monday that the Texas governor was “targeting” cities run by Black mayors, noting the influx of migrants is too much for one city to handle.

Adams also said Texas bused migrants to New York “against their will,” a claim Abbott’s office said is false. Mahaleris explained that the migrants signed a voluntary consent form that was available in multiple languages, saying they agreed to be sent to a specific location.

Mahaleris also blasted the mayors of cities where migrants were being bused to, noting New York only needs to deal with a “fraction” of migrants that Texas communities deal with.

“Mayor Adams, along with Mayor [Muriel] Bowser, Mayor [Lori] Lightfoot, and Mayor [Jim] Kenney, were proud to tout their self-declared sanctuary city status until Texas began busing migrants to New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, and Philadelphia to provide relief to our overrun and overwhelmed border communities,” Mahaleris said.

He also called on Adams to urge the federal government to take action on the border, saying the “real crisis” is on the Southern border, not in New York.

“Instead of spreading falsehoods and complaining about a few thousand migrants being bused into his sanctuary city, Mayor Adams should call on President Biden to take immediate action to secure the border — something the President continues failing to do,” Mahaleris said.

The remarks come as the Biden administration is expected to send 1,500 active-duty troops to the U.S.-Mexico border ahead of a potential surge in migrants after Title 42 expires next week. Abbott also called on Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D), who sent a letter urging the Texas governor to cease busing migrants to Chicago on Sunday, to ask the Biden administration to implement stricter border policies.

When reached out to for comment, a spokesperson for Adams’ office pointed The Hill to an alleged 911 call that was shared with the public after the Texas governor sent a bus of migrants toward the Big Apple.

“We’re in Chattanooga and over here, some men have us held us on the bus against our will,” a man said in the call. “Our families are waiting for us. They won’t let us off and they are holding us against our will.”

Adams’ spokesperson responded that “this 911 call reported on in a conservative news outlet that supports Governor Abbott actually shows that [Abbott] is the only one spreading falsehoods.”