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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that migrants bused out of state are given voluntary consent waivers and are not — as New York City Mayor Eric Adams has alleged — being forced onto the buses.
The Republican governor, along with his Arizona counterpart, Doug Ducey, has enraged Adams and Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser by sending thousands of migrants to their cities. They’ve both said the action is to protest the Biden administration’s border policies.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, left, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (Getty Images)
After around 40 migrants arrived at the Big Apple on Sunday, Adams said some of the migrants “wanted to go to other locations and they were not allowed to do so.”
“They were forced on the bus with the understanding that they were going to other locations that they wanted to go,” Adams said.
NYC MAYOR ADAMS DUBS ABBOTT AN ‘ANTI-AMERICAN GOVERNOR’ AS MIGRANT SPAT ESCALATES
Abbott’s office told Fox News that the mayor’s allegations are false, and that all migrants sign a waiver — available in multiple languages — before they get onto a bus to D.C. or NYC.
Fox News has reached out to the mayor’s office for comment on the governor’s allegations.
Another round of migrants arrived in New York City by bus Tuesday morning. While awaiting the arrival of the three new buses, NYC’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro accused a “morally corrupt” Abbott of using the busing of migrants to the Big Apple as a “political ploy” aimed to “foment anti-immigrant sentiment.”
Abbott began sending migrants out of his state into liberal cities as a way to bring evidence of the migrant crisis to their doorstep, and to bring attention to the issue of illegal immigration in his own state.
“In addition to Washington, D.C., New York City is the ideal destination for these migrants, who can receive the abundance of city services and housing that Mayor Eric Adams has boasted about within the sanctuary city,” the Texas governor said. “I hope he follows through on his promise of welcoming all migrants with open arms so that our overrun and overwhelmed border towns can find relief.”
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Texas has sent more than 5,100 migrants to Washington, D.C., a surge that caused Bowser to activate the District of Columbia National Guard.
Fox News’ Danielle Wallace, Lawrence Richard and Adam Shaw contributed to this report.
