MANHATTAN (PIX11) — Buses of migrants continued to arrive in New York City on Thursday as immigration officials leveled accusations of dehumanization against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
Some of the migrants were given bracelets with bar codes on them, Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs Commissioner Manuel Castro said. He said Abbot’s administration has tried to hide how people are treated on the 30-hour journey to New York.
“This is just senseless what Governor Abbot is doing,” Castro said. “He is clearly trying to instill fear in these people who don’t understand what’s happening.”
A spokesperson for Abbot told the Hill that Mayor Eric Adams’ administration should stop its “baseless lies and fear mongering” over the barcode bracelets.
“This process also helps ensure we are only transporting migrants who have been processed and released by the federal government with federal documentation that allows them to move about the country,” the spokesperson told The Hill.
A volunteer who was at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Thursday morning when the five new buses arrived was able to speak with several asylum seekers. He said the migrants don’t mind the bracelets. After the horrors of their journeys to get to the United States, they’re just thankful to be in the country.
The back-and-forth over the bracelets is only the latest point of contention between officials in Texas and in New York City.
“Mayor Adams likes to pat himself on the back for welcoming migrants to his sanctuary city. Until he actually has to follow through on those lofty promises. Instead of attacking Texas, Mayor Adams should call on Biden to do his job & secure our border,” Abbot tweeted on Wednesday.
Mayoral spokesperson Fabien Levy quickly responded.
“Someone get this man a dictionary,” he tweeted. “‘Hypocrisy’ is claiming you love America and then decrying the words on the Statue of Liberty. To be clear, @NYCMayor is welcoming asylum seekers with open arms. They deserve more than being used by a governor who only cares about reelection.”
