One of 17 charter bus companies New York City sued earlier this year over the busing of migrants to the five boroughs agreed to halt sending newcomers here while the legal action plays out in court, Mayor Eric Adams’ administration announced Wednesday.
The bus company, Roadrunner Charters Inc., agreed formally with the administration that it will stop bussing new arrivals from Texas to New York City, New Jersey and other locations in the “vicinity of” of the city for the duration of the legal proceedings, according to a legal filing.
“Pending an order and judgment of this Court … the Defendant Roadrunner Charters Inc. will refrain forthwith from transporting individuals known as migrants from Texas to New York City, and/or from Texas to the vicinity of New York City, including but not limited to New Jersey, who are then provided with further transportation to New York City,” the agreement reads.
The Adams administration took Roadrunner and 16 other charter bus companies to New York County Supreme Court in January, alleging they are violating the state’s Social Services Law by transporting tens of thousands of migrants here at the behest of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The suit is seeking to recoup at least $708 million the city says it spent on the 33,600 migrants brought by the bus operators between spring 2022 and the start of this year.
However, the city conceded that it would not seek money upfront from Roadrunner as part of the agreement, though it will still pursue the money it says the company owes it in migrant care costs, according to Adams’ office.
Specifically, City Hall alleges that the companies have violated a section of the state law, which says that anyone who brings individuals from out of state to New York to become a “public charge” here is responsible for covering the cost of caring for them or should transport them out of the city.
The Adams administration is targeting the bus operators for implementing Abbott’s bussing plan, known as Operation Lone Star, which it describes as a “bad faith” scheme to shift the cost of providing for new arrivals from the southern border to northern “Sanctuary Cities.” It further alleges the bus operators have greatly benefited from the operation, raking in millions of dollars due to inflated rates paid by Texas.
Mayor Adams, in a statement, applauded the move, urging the other companies named in the suit to follow Roadrunner’s example by halting bussing for the duration the suit.
“I am pleased to see that Roadrunner – one of the bus companies we sued for taking part in Texas Governor Abbott’s scheme to transport tens of thousands of migrants to our city in an attempt to overwhelm our shelter system and shift costs to New York City – has agreed to halt the bussing of migrants into and around New York City while the lawsuit proceeds,” he said. “We call on all other bus companies involved in this suit to do the same.”
Abbott, for his part, has called the suit “baseless,” while claiming that migrants are traveling are choosing to hop on the New York City bound-buses.
The administration brought the legal action at a time when the 17 bus companies named in the suit were dropping off migrants at all hours, without coordinating with city officials.
Adams first enacted an executive order placing strict limits on when and where the companies could do drop offs, but they quickly found a work-around, leaving new arrivals at New Jersey train stations with direct access to the city instead. The mayor then brought the suit.
