Trenton landed on Texas’s route to send migrants to NYC
Trenton Transit Center remained a drop off point for immigrants and migrants from as far away as Texas as about 40 travelers de-boarded a large white bus, spent less than an hour inside the terminal Thursday morning then rode a New Jersey Transit train into New York City.
Thousands of immigrants have been dropped off at New Jersey train stations to circumvent charter busing restrictions ordered by New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The NYC mayor last week issued an executive order that determined where and when buses carrying migrants can drop off their human cargo in the city. People movers opted for a new strategy that leaves passengers in train stations who then ride into New York City.
“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,” Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli, said in a statement.
“Perhaps the requirements Mayor Adams put in place are too stringent and are resulting in unexpected consequences as it seems the bus operators have figured out a loophole in the system in order to ensure the migrants reach their final destination, which is New York City.” Other New Jersey drop offs have occurred in Fanwood and Edison.
The latest delivery in Trenton, one of at least five that occurred last weekend according to a person familiar with the traveling process, included numerous toddlers, several infants, teens and adults. Most travelers carried a single white plastic bag of belongings, a white blanket and little else.
Human handlers were tight-lipped about the travelers although Texas Gov. Greg Abbott boasted he has dispersed nearly 100,000 migrants to cities overseen by Democrats. Abbott’s Operation Lone Star activated in April 2022 as the Republican governor said that areas that identify as sanctuary cities should bear the burden of dealing with immigrants and migrants.
Adams said New York City has processed more than 160,000 asylum seekers but he needs federal assistance to resolve a migration issue that has overwhelmed the city’s social services network.
Tyler Jones, a spokesperson for New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s office noted New Jersey “is primarily being used as a transit point for these families.”