New Jersey Transforms Into Transit Hub For Migrant Buses Bound For NYC Following Executive Order

Clear Facts

• New Jersey is being used as a “transit point” for migrant buses heading to New York City, according to Governor Phil Murphy’s office.
• Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli accused the migrant buses of bypassing New York City’s executive order through a “loophole,” by dropping migrants at train stations in New Jersey.
• Approximately 397 migrants had arrived at various transit stations throughout New Jersey since Saturday, according to a social media post.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy’s office has confirmed that the state is being used as a transit point for migrant buses. This comes in response to New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ new executive order, which aims to regulate the influx of asylum seekers into the city.

“Our Administration has tracked the recent arrival of a handful of buses of migrant families at various NJ TRANSIT train stations,” said Murphy’s spokesperson Tyler Jones.

“New Jersey is primarily being used as a transit point for these families — all or nearly all of them continued with their travels en route to their final destination of New York City.”

The mayors of Secaucus and Fanwood, New Jersey, have reported the arrivals of migrant buses at train stations in their communities. Trenton’s mayor, Reed Gusciora, was informed by NJ Transit officials about people arriving at Trenton’s train station stop, but it remains unclear if these individuals are migrants.

Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who is running for governor in 2025, wrote in a now-deleted social media post, “This is clearly going to be a statewide conversation so important that we wait for some guidance from the Governor here on next steps as buses continue.”

Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli accused the migrant buses of exploiting a “loophole” to bypass New York City’s executive order. He stated that Secaucus police and town officials were informed by Hudson County officials about the arrival of buses at the train station in Secaucus Junction. According to Gonnelli, four buses dropped off migrants who then took trains into New York City.

Gonnelli suggested that the executive order, which requires bus operators to provide at least 32 hours’ advance notice of arrivals and to limit the hours of drop-off times, may be “too stringent” and is resulting in “unexpected consequences.”

He called the tactic a “loophole” that allows migrants to reach New York City and added that state police have reported that “this is now happening at train stations throughout the state.”

A social media post for Jersey City reported that “approximately 10 buses from various locations in Texas and one from Louisiana have arrived at various transit stations throughout the state, including Secaucus, Fanwood, Edison, Trenton.” The post stated that about 397 migrants had arrived at these locations since Saturday.

On December 27, Mayor Adams issued an executive order requiring charter bus operators carrying migrants to New York City to provide 36-hour advanced notification to the city’s Commissioner of Emergency Management about their intended arrival. The order also requires a manifest of passengers and limits bus drop-off locations and times.

A City Hall spokesperson said last week that New York City had “led the nation in responding to this national humanitarian crisis, providing compassion, care, shelter, and vital services to more than 161,000 migrants” since spring 2022.

The spokesperson criticized Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for allegedly treating asylum seekers “like political pawns.”

Last week, Mayor Adams joined the mayors of Chicago and Denver in calling for more federal help and coordination with Texas over the growing number of asylum-seekers arriving in their cities by bus and plane.

Clear Thoughts (op-ed)

The situation in New Jersey is a clear example of the consequences of poorly thought-out policies. The recent executive order from New York City’s Mayor Adams, designed to regulate the influx of asylum seekers, has simply shifted the problem to neighboring states.

Instead of arriving in New York, migrants are being dropped off at train stations in New Jersey, exploiting an apparent loophole. This has led to nearly 400 migrants arriving in New Jersey since Saturday alone.

These are the unintended consequences of a policy that was more about optics than practicality. It’s now up to the leaders of New Jersey to deal with the fallout – another burden they didn’t ask for, but must now shoulder.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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