NJ’s federal lawmakers call for more to be done to handle migrant crisis as buses arrive in state

Officials say 92,000 migrants have been bused across the country since the start of 2023 on orders of the Texas governor.

Chris Keating

Jan 3, 2024, 10:04 AM

Updated 333 days ago

Share:

Another charter bus believed to be full of migrants arrived in New Jersey Wednesday morning. It’s similar to what happened on Saturday when buses stopped at four train stations around the state. This time, the bus stopped at Secaucus Junction.
Once the bus pulled up in Secaucus, people were seen stepping off wearing masks. Some were carrying backpacks, while others had pillows and blankets in their arms.
After lining up outside of the bus, they all filed inside together and boarded trains. Some said they were from Guatemala, others from Ecuador. One person met a relative and got in a car headed for Boston.
While local mayors are dealing with the increase in migrants, some lawmakers like Democratic Rep. Andy Kim are calling this situation a failure of government at the federal level. He accuses his colleagues in Congress of refusing to find a solution.
“Some people don’t want to see this problem go away because it’s such a good political weapon and cudgel for them to try to use,” Kim says. “I’ve approached them and said, ‘Let’s have that conversation about what we can do to increase border security.’”
Patricia Campos is a candidate for the U.S. Senate and the daughter of political refugees.
“We have to go back to recognizing that America is a land of immigrants and that at some point, we were receiving thousands of immigrants, and we can still do that again,” she says.
Republican Rep. Chris Smith calls what New York is dealing with a “humanitarian disaster.”
“This crisis continues to spiral out of control while the Biden Administration refuses to act,” Smith wrote in a statement.
However, President Joe Biden has said that he needs Congress to approve funding to enact changes at the border.
Officials say 92,000 migrants have been bused across the country since the start of 2023 on orders of the Texas governor. The bus that rolled up in Secaucus is similar to what happened Saturday when buses of migrants were dropped off in Secaucus, Trenton, Fanwood and Edison. The majority boarded trains for New York City.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, along with his counterparts in Denver and Chicago, have threatened bus companies with fines and impounding if they don’t keep to rules about dropping off. Those rules include providing 32 hours’ notice and arrivals only on weekdays.
New Jersey state officials say they are “monitoring the situation.”