After New York City moved last week to slow the pace of asylum seeker-filled charter buses arriving from southern states, roughly a dozen buses carrying city-bound migrants have arrived in New Jersey since Saturday, according to officials.
The wave of buses west of New York City, which continued Monday morning, appears to represent a response by Republican-led Texas to an executive order implemented by Mayor Adams barring migrant buses from the city except during 210-minute windows on weekday mornings.
Over the weekend, about 10 migrant buses that originated in Texas and one bus that came from Louisiana arrived in New Jersey municipalities including Edison, Fanwood, Secaucus and Trenton, according to the government of Jersey City.
About 400 people arrived on those buses, said Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop.
“It’s the first time that buses have arrived in New Jersey. The buses are looking to circumvent that rule,” Fulop, a Democrat, said by phone, referring to New York City’s executive order.
The Secaucus Junction Train Station, which is located less than four miles from Midtown Manhattan, has served as a primary drop-off point for the migrant buses. Four buses arrived at the station on Saturday, according to the Town of Secaucus. Two more arrived early Monday, said Town Administrator Gary Jeffas.
Migrants who arrived at the station then traveled to New York City by train, according to Secaucus officials. Mayor Michael Gonnelli said in a statement that 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.”
The bus arrivals seemed to generally be centered on New Jersey Transit stations. A spokeswoman for Gov. Phil Murphy, Tyler Jones, said in a statement Monday that “New Jersey is primarily being used as a transit point for these families — all or nearly all of them continued with their travels en route to their final destination of New York City.”