Even border crossers are too scared of the crime-ridden Big Apple.
Mayor Adams tried to greet the latest bus load of migrants to get shipped in from Texas early Sunday — but was horrified to find the vast majority had already skipped, admitting it was likely through “fear” of the city.
“We were led to believe about 40 people should have been on that bus. Only 14 got off,” said Adams, whom The Post caught having heated words with an organizer during the alarming, unexpected 7 a.m. no-show at Midtown’s Port Authority Bus Terminal.
The mayor suggested that the most likely reason was “that because of the fear that something was going to happen to them if they came to this location, people got off earlier.”
“And we are concerned about that because we don’t want people being dropped off [just] anywhere,” he said as the handful who did get off, including young kids, were processed and then led out to cabs.
The Post filmed Adams having a testy exchange with a woman who had helped shout orders in Spanish to get the handful of arrivals off the bus.
“We’ve got to work together — we’re not on different sides here, we have to work together,” Adams told the woman — who abruptly turned and walked off.
He later complained about the lack of info from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who has been shipping the migrants to Democratic regions to ease what he calls a “crisis caused” by “open border policies.”
“They’re not letting us know when the buses are leaving. They’re not letting us know what are the needs of the people on the bus. They are not giving us any information so we’re unable to really provide the service to people en route,” Adams complained of Abbott’s team.
“We would like to get that information,” he said.
The 14 who did get off at Port Authority early Sunday join at least 50 who have already been shipped here, with the first bus arriving Friday. They will be taken to the city’s already overburdened shelters, or assisted moving elsewhere if they have somewhere arranged to stay, the mayor said.
However, Adams told The Post he has no interest in asking President Biden or federal agencies to change the border policy and ease the flow.
“No. As the mayor of the city of New York, I don’t weigh into immigration issues, border issues — I have to provide services for families that are here,” he told The Post.
“I’m proud that this is a right-to-shelter state. And we are going to continue to do that,” he said.
Sunday’s arrivals were walked to a special processing area staffed by City Hall staff, with “NYC Public Engagement Unit” signs on laptops — and tote bags with supplies, including boxed meals, ready for the arrivals.
The area was tightly restricted from prying eyes as the latest border-crossers arrived.
However, once they left the terminal, a small group of activists greeted them, shouting “refugees are welcome here” and “refugees, welcome to New York.”
The first busload of migrants arrived Friday, just days after Adams turned down Abbott’s invitation to visit the southern border to “see firsthand the dire situation” there.
Abbott has vowed to continue sending them to New York, which he has called an “ideal destination” due to the city’s generous treatment of homeless people. He has also sent more than 6,100 to Washington, DC, since April, which local leaders say has led to crisis.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism