“There is an emergency”: the Canadian government welcomes migrants arriving by bus from New York

“There is an emergency”: the Canadian government welcomes migrants arriving by bus from New York

“We help in the process of buying tickets”, Adams said Monday, though he didn’t say if the city was paying for the tickets. “We found people who had another destination, but who were forced to come only to New York (…) Some want to go to Canada, others want to go to warmer states, so we’re here for them. »

In addition to the city, Adams told Canadian news outlet CBC that different community organizations help migrants buy bus tickets to their new destinations.

New York asks for help from the federal government after the arrival of more immigrants sent from Texas

On Monday, Quebec Immigration Minister Christine Fréchette described as a surprise reports that New York City was paying for tickets for migrants to travel to Canada. “There is urgency,” he told the media, calling on Ottawa to act quickly to resolve “the Roxham Road problem.”

According to Radio-Canada, last December, approximately 4,700 people entered the country by this road which connects New York to the municipality of Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, in Quebec.

Migrants line up at the Canada-US border at a migrant reception center in Saint-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, January 12, 2022. Once they cross, they are stopped by the Gendarmerie of Canada, then they are allowed to apply for asylum, explains the AP agency.

Credit: Wilson/AP Ring

The radio cites figures from the province of Quebec, which estimates that 60,000 asylum seekers entered this area in 2022, almost double the number they received before the pandemic.

This has prompted the Canadian government to seek support from a dozen community groups – in Montreal, Laval, Montérégie and Quebec, which receive the largest influx – as more and more migrants arrive. Fréchette told local media that he will have an emergency fund of about $3.5 million to support these organizations by providing shelter, clothing and food to those who arrive.

In mid-January, Mayor Eric Adams visited the Texas border town of El Paso and assured from there that “there is no place in New York” for more migrants. There, he called on the federal government to “do its job” to address the border crisis. In his Monday chat with Fox 5, he estimated the city’s investment in migrant care for this year to be around $1.4 billion. On several occasions, he insisted that the massive influx of migrants from southern states had caused the city’s shelter system to collapse.

The first buses arrived from Texas to New York in August 2022. State Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican who backed former President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, said he was doing so in response to the federal government’s “open border policy”, which had created a “crisis” in the southern states.

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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A bus carrying 31 immigrants sent from Texas stopped outside the 30th Street train station in the cold fog on Wednesday morning.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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The bus was sent by Gov. Greg Abbott in what he said was an effort to bring border challenges to northern towns.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Immigration advocates in Philadelphia have called the bus ride a cruel trick played on innocent people who are legally in the United States.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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The immigrants, who an immigration advocate said were mostly from Colombia as well as the Dominican Republic and Cuba, began arriving on the chilly Philadelphia morning around 6:15 a.m.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Volunteers provided families with winter coats, blankets and hot chocolate. Councilwoman Helen Gym greeted a woman carrying a baby with a hug and words of welcome.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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There were at least two babies in the group that made the trip from Texas.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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At 6:25 a.m., the bus departed from 30th Street, leaving 19 people to board a SEPTA bus that would take them to a welcome center set up by the city in North Philadelphia.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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One of the children was being treated at a local hospital after arriving with a high fever.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Others on the bus were going to other states. Some had called relatives from the road, making an appointment in Philadelphia.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Only one person will remain in the city, according to State Representative Amen Brown, who met with families in North Philadelphia.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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City and immigrant aid officials have been preparing for days to receive the bus, which was carrying people from Central and South America.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Mayor Jim Kenney promised newcomers would be treated with dignity and respect. “It is disgusting that Governor Abbott’s administration continues to implement its deliberately cruel policy of using immigrant families as political pawns,” the mayor said.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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Philadelphia officials were ready with food, water, emergency medicals and shelter. Abbott confirmed Tuesday that, along with Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C., “the sanctuary city of Philadelphia will now be a delivery location for the state of Texas bus transportation strategy.”

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

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This bus was coming from Del Rio, Texas, located on the western border of San Antonio. Philadelphia officials said authorities in Texas have not coordinated with them. Only three people said Pennsylvania was their final destination, with more expected to follow with stops in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Maryland, the city said.

Credit: Courtesy of Philadelphia City Government

Mona Watkins

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