New York City Mayor Eric Adams has announced a lawsuit against 17 bus and transportation companies helping to send asylum-seekers to the city as it deals with major budget issues surrounding the crisis.

The city is seeking $708 million in the lawsuit to cover costs for caring for migrants.

“New York City has and will always do our part to manage this humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone,” Adams said in a statement. "Today, we are taking legal action against 17 companies that have taken part in Texas Governor [Greg] Abbott’s scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to New York City in an attempt to overwhelm our social services system.

He continued, “These companies have violated state law by not paying the cost of caring for these migrants, and that’s why we are suing to recoup approximately $700 million already spent to care for migrants sent here in the last two years by Texas.”

  • Jaysyn@kbin.social
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    6 months ago

    Fuck this noise.

    Where are the Human Trafficking charges for Abbot & DeSantis?

    Where are the criminal indictments DoJ?

    • FunkyMonk@kbin.social
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      6 months ago

      Fucking with rich people’s money is usually the fastest way to make them leash their dogs. If Abbot keeps fucking with rich fuckers money maybe they will jail him, but I do agree a justice system would be nice to have here in USA.

    • stoly@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      That’s a hard ask because they can pretty easily say that it was all actions taken in the completion of their duties. That’s what qualified immunity is actually for–to prevent every person from suing every elected official over anything they don’t like. In reality, it’s changing voting patterns that make up the solution here.

    • ALQ@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Short answer is that it is always much easier to (successfully) sue a private party than a government entity. Also probably to deter the private companies from participating in human trafficking.

      • stevehobbes@lemy.lol
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        6 months ago

        The latter is the big one.

        Defending this lawsuit will cost them more money than they made bussing migrants, even if they win.

        Which will make all of them think twice about doing it - or at the very least charge Texas much, much more money.

      • ultranaut@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        Part of it may also be to send a message. Texas isn’t going to stop, but transportation companies might be deterred knowing NYC will drag them through court if they participate in these crimes. Even if they are sure they will win in the end, getting involved in years long litigation over a controversial issue is not good for business.

    • KoboldCoterie@pawb.social
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      6 months ago

      I’d guess that the hope is to scare charter bus companies away from working with Abbott; it’s probably a lot easier to do that than to stop Abbott from sending people.

      • Tja@programming.dev
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        6 months ago

        And companies use their money to defend themselves / pay fines, Abbot uses taxpayers money, so he doesn’t care one bit.

    • Evilcoleslaw@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      States using states is hard, winds up immediately in the Supreme Court and they can’t really use their own state laws against each other basically. In this case NY can hold the bus companies over the fire of NY state law.

          • Khanzarate@lemmy.world
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            6 months ago

            Nah, X vs State is as valid as State Vs. X, for jurisdiction.

            Like others have said though, other states don’t really have to follow your city laws, so it’s much easier to get the companies that do have to.

      • stoly@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        The SCOTUS does have original jurisdiction over interstate lawsuits of this sort, but Congress has also set up district and circuit courts to take up the slack before SCOTUS has to touch it–they process the cases first and then it goes up to the SCOTUS if there is a particularly impactful or unresolved question to decide.

    • Nomecks@lemmy.ca
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      6 months ago

      Because they can’t scare Texas but they can scare bus companies. Why wouldn’t they take the effective way?

  • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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    6 months ago

    I have to say that as much of a piece of shit Abbot is this is helping to make his point. If New York can’t withstand the impact of these immigrants then why is Texas expected to?

    We definitely need to fix the system to allow for more national absorption of the costs. Though ironically Texas wouldn’t go for that because, when you get down to it, the costs aren’t what they really care about…

    • Socsa@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      Texas receives billions of federal dollars for border control. It’s already being absorbed nationally in that sense. New Yorkers already pay more taxes per capita than Texas does.

      This is politically motivated hate theater. Texas is a fascist state, and they want to make sure everyone suffers for it.

    • AmberPrince@kbin.social
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      6 months ago

      Two things here. One is that you are confusing New York and New York City. I absolutely do believe an entire state can manage better than a city. The second thing is that Texas and other border states do receive federal funds for managing the border. Not as much as maybe they require but they do get federal help.

      • stevehobbes@lemy.lol
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        6 months ago

        More accurately, it’s mostly because they’re doing it against their will. You get a bus load of people with no support system who don’t want to be here but can’t afford to get anywhere else.

        The reason they should stop is it’s inhumane, not that we in NYC can’t handle more people.

      • atzanteol@sh.itjust.works
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        6 months ago

        One is that you are confusing New York and New York City.

        I’m not actually. Presumably the city is working with the state as well - I don’t know though.

        border states do receive federal funds for managing the border

        Yeah - that’s true.

      • Chuckleberry_Finn@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        They specifically called out Abbott as being a piece of shit for the trafficking, and I think they are making a great point. Is Texas being forced to shoulder an unfair burden here? Or do they receive adequate federal aid for the border and this is all just political posing?

  • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    Ok, but isn’t Texas paying for the tickets? I mean I’m sure the bus companies aren’t bussing people 3/4 the way across the country for free and those migrants aren’t likely to be able to afford a cross-country bus ticket.
    So the bus companies are just accepting a fare and doing the services they were paid for, why should it be up to a private company to ensure citizenship before letting people on the bus?
    It’s just ridiculous that Abbott is the one doing all of this and Private companies will pay the price, can we at least once let a politician pay the price for the shitty things they’ve done instead passing the blame elsewhere?

    • bostonbananarama@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Are you honestly suggesting that the bus companies might be unaware of what they’re doing? That seems preposterous to me. Greg Abbott isn’t walking up to the ticket window purchasing two tickets to NYC, these busses are specifically chartered for this purpose.

      • Tathas@programming.dev
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        6 months ago

        I wouldn’t be surprised at all to find out that Abbot is friends with people who are financially invested in these bus companies.

      • Chainweasel@lemmy.world
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        6 months ago

        I’m suggesting Greg Abbott should also pay some kind of price because he’s financing the whole deal.
        I’m honestly kind of shocked so many people don’t seem to think this is his problem at all. Why should the bus companies pay ALL of the price when Abbott is behind the whole thing. But fuck it, I’m wrong and Abbott did nothing wrong I guess 🤷‍♂️

        • BassTurd@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          The bus lines can sue Abbott or Texas then. The buses know what they are doing and have done, they aren’t innocent fodder in this, they are accessories. Play stupid games, win stupid fines.

        • bignate@discuss.tchncs.de
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          6 months ago

          There’s a comment above about this: I’m sure New York City (or any other city, really) would love to sue Abbot. But suing a state would be much harder, and probably much lengthier. If there’s even the threat of a lawsuit, most bus companies would at least think twice about accepting the job.

    • deegeese@sopuli.xyz
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      6 months ago

      The companies are participating in human trafficking for profit.

      They and their co-conspirators in TX government are jointly and severally liable.

      Both should be sued for money. The Texas politicians should be criminally charged as well.

    • AA5B@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      If NYC sues Texas and gets Abbot to stop, he’ll keep trafficking migrants to Chicago. If NYC sues bus companies and gets them to stop enabling this stunt, it will stop fir all such stunts

  • randon31415@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    In a move to equally piss off environmentalists, Greg Abbot is now contracting with Uber to drive 700 cars full of migrants per day to New Jersey…