New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, said Thursday he hopes Texas Gov. Greg Abbott will see how well he and his administration have managed the migrant crisis in the Big Apple during his trip to the city. (Getty Images)
"I'm not quite sure why he's here and what he's doing while here, but he's going to see how you can manage the crisis with the coordination of not one child of families sleeping on the streets of the city of New York," Adams added. "When we coordinate together, we should not displace problems to local municipalities. That is not what executives do. It is unfortunate that he made the decision to do that."
The comments from Adams, who has repeatedly blasted Abbott for not coordinating with the city on matters of illegal immigration, came after the city began giving out prepaid debit cards to illegal immigrants residing in the Big Apple last week. The prepaid cards are meant to be for the purchasing of food and baby supplies and may only be used at bodegas, grocery stores, supermarkets and convenience stores.
The effort is part of a reported $53 million pilot program to hand out prepaid cards to migrant families housed in hotels, despite public outcry. The program, which the mayor's office confirmed to Fox News Digital will provide migrant families of four with two children under five with up to $350 each week until the end of their 28-day stay, began with a limited number of families last week and is expected to expand.
Roughly 180,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since 2022, overwhelming city resources as officials have struggled to find housing for them.
Abbott has bused asylum-seekers to New York and other cities in an effort to assist them in traveling to sanctuary jurisdictions and also highlight the crisis that border communities face on a daily basis.
Hundreds of migrants, predominantly from Venezuela, cross the Rio Grande with the intention of seeking humanitarian asylum by crossing the border between Mexico and the United States in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, on December 5, 2023. (David Peinado/Anadolu via Getty Images)
If the current pace of illegal immigration does not slow down, fiscal 2024 will break last year's record of 2,475,669 southwest border encounters — a number that by itself exceeds the population of New Mexico, a border state.
Abbott will serve as the keynote speaker at the Thursday evening GOP fundraiser in Manhattan.
Fox News' Greg Wehner, Bill Melugin and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.
Kyle Morris covers politics for Fox News. Story tips can be sent via email and on X: @RealKyleMorris.
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