How have refugees, having come across the Mexico-U.S. border from lands as distant as Venezuela or Senegal, found themselves at the train station in Edison, New Jersey? The border crisis is thus far a long-debated and seemingly unsolvable issue, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s plan has now pushed the ordeal further north.
As a way to aid border cities overwhelmed with the influx of migrants, Gov. Abbott has begun to send them through various methods of transportation to “sanctuary cities” across the country. Of the 100,000 migrants moved, over one-third have been bused to New York, simply transferring the issue into the hands of Mayor Eric Adams.
Emergency shelter and aid services have now come under stress as local public high schools were shut down to house migrants and a plan for over two billion dollars for alleviating the migrant crisis in the city has been proposed, warranting the Mayor’s response on ABC that “We can’t continue to sustain this” when speaking on the thousands of asylum-seekers.
With the implementation of an emergency order restricting the times at which buses can arrive in New York and requiring proper notice before the migrants are to be transported, Adams hoped to control the sudden influx. In an unprecedented turn of events, a loophole was quickly identified and exploited, as the bus operators began to drop migrants off at train and bus stations around New Jersey with little to no notice and a ticket for local transportation to New York City.
The plan soon alarmed officials in both states. New Jersey mayors made it clear that they do not have the resources to support this after having considered and backed out of a plan to provide five million dollars towards addressing the migrant influx. Additionally, Adams has requested that the officials in the neighboring state issue similar orders to prevent the arrival of buses, as he continues to be presented with the growing number of migrants. A spokesperson for the New York City Hall even stated to CNN that Abbot “continues to treat asylum seekers like political pawns,” indicating that the move was directed against Democratic mayors.
The stated treatment of migrants as tools to promote political goals begs the question of the situation of newcomers upon entry into America and subsequent transport. Mr. Michael McLean, an English teacher at Saint Peter’s Prep and the former Senior Immigration Assistant for Jersey City, provided insight on the legal status of the majority of those being bussed to New York.“Calling bussed migrants ‘illegals’ is inaccurate and diverts attention from big aspects of the problem,” he clarifies. “They have been permitted to enter as parolees and most are eligible to apply for asylum, but because they are prohibited from working and need to wait many years to appear in understaffed asylum courts, they can become a burden on local communities and vulnerable to wage theft and human trafficking.”
Paroled asylum seekers are not allowed government-subsidized health insurance, work authorization, or food stamps until they find success in an asylum hearing which is typically delayed for three to ten years, a slow process hindered by a severe shortage of immigration judges. Mr. McLean points out a major problem not addressed in this crisis is that the slow immigration process forces migrants into off-the-books work, which reduces tax revenues that would otherwise be paid through legal work. If more effort were put into expediting work authorization, the influx of migrants would not be as devastating as in New York and potentially New Jersey. Next year, Mr. McLean plans to teach an elective course at Saint Peter’s Prep called “The Immigration Experience.”
Eric Adams is being criticized for his handling of the issue for the amount of resources that he has taken away from the community for emergency aid. He has also been blamed for speaking out against the ongoing events, as they were a result of his choice to remain a sanctuary city in the first place. Gov. Abbott likewise has come under fire for targeting certain cities instead of implementing a widespread diffusion of migrants.
The current situation thus puts multiple state and local governments under pressure while endangering the migrants involved. It has exposed the crippling weaknesses of the current immigration system, adding to the credibility of the idea of fault in America’s immigration policy as a whole.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/02/us/new-jersey-migrant-buses-nyc/index.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7AXXlTRDq4
https://www.nyc.gov/office-of-the-mayor/news/026-24/transcript-mayor-adams-appears-abc-s-gma3-