NYC now requires advance notice of arrival of migrant buses

Charter bus companies transporting foreign migrants from other states to New York City must provide 32 hours prior notice and passenger information under a new executive order issued by Mayor Eric Adams Wednesday.

The mayor’s office said the order, which takes effect immediately, aims to increase coordination between bus companies and the city to improve safety for migrants who continue to arrive at unprecedented levels. In the past month, nearly 15,000 new migrants have arrived in New York, including 14 buses that entered the city overnight last week on charters arranged by the state of Texas, the mayor said.

“New York City has begun to see another surge of migrants arriving, and we expect this to intensify over the coming days as a result of Texas Governor Abbott’s cruel and inhumane politics,” Adams said in a statement.

The new charter bus regulations were inspired by similar action Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson previously took, Adams said.

Under the executive order, migrant charters will only be allowed to drop off passengers between 8:30 a.m. and noon Monday through Friday at a loading zone on 41st Street between 8th and 9th avenues, unless prior approval has been obtained by the New York City Department of Emergency Management.

Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom said in a statement that charter companies will also be required to notify the city in advance how many passengers are arriving. Adams' Chief of Staff, Camille Joseph, said charters have frequently arrived within minutes of giving notice.

New York City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix said the executive order was “an urgent step we need to address this unprecedented emergency.”

“Bus companies that drop off thousands of people in need of assistance at random locations and times, often at night or on the weekends, are interfering with the city’s ability to manage this humanitarian crisis and provide emergency services,” Hinds-Radix said in a statement.

Violators of the order may be charged with a misdemeanor, punishable by up to three months in jail and fines of $500 for individuals and $2,000 for corporations.

Adams also joined Johnson and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston in calling for the federal and state governments to contribute more aid to support the cities as they navigate the migrant crisis.

“Cities cannot continue to do the federal government’s job for them,” Adams said.

More than 161,000 migrants have come through the city system since spring 2022, and about 68,000 remain, with many living in city-funded shelters and hotels. The cost to the city is forecast to be $12 billion by next fiscal year.

Earlier this year, the city began tightening rules around how long a migrant may stay in the more than 200 city-funded housing sites, angering homelessness advocates. The restrictions started with adults without accompanying children, who were told to leave after 60 days and forced to reapply.

Since then, the amount of time someone is allowed to stay in a shelter has been reduced, depending on the circumstances of each case.

Newsday reported in June that only a tiny fraction of the migrants have formally applied for asylum. Most won’t be granted asylum, and an unknown number will remain in the United States illegally.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.