Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams has repeatedly disparaged GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, recently calling him a “madman” for sending buses of undocumented migrants from his state to the Big Apple.
NYC Mayor Eric Adams called TX Governor Abbott a 'madman.' The 'madman' himself responds on Primetime pic.twitter.com/nmY7aM2bt0
— Jesse Watters (@JesseBWatters) September 12, 2023
Despite the personal attacks, Abbott was able to find an area of agreement with the mayor — as well as Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul — during a recent speech in New York City.
As part of an ongoing effort to pressure the Biden administration to take action on the porous southern border, Abbott channeled the complaints of both New York Democrats to demonstrate the growing bipartisan frustration concerning illegal immigration.
“This is unsustainable, and those are the words of your mayor,” he told a crowd in Manhattan on Wednesday.
He clarified that fewer than 16,000 of the more than 100,000 migrants who have flooded into the city over the past year were sent in response to his orders. New York City officials have not pushed back against that assertion and have not offered additional details about what prompted the arrival of the tens of thousands of other migrants.
Despite the obvious strain that this influx has had on the city, Abbott asserted that the toll is much more severe on his home state.
“What is going on in New York is calm and organized compared to the real chaos from what we see on the border — not every day, but every hour of every day,” he said.
Focusing on the small plot of common ground he shares with Adams, the governor went on to place the blame for the ongoing border crisis squarely on the Biden administration.
“It is all carefully, choreographically designed policy put in place by the current president of the United States of America,” Abbott said. “It was just three years ago we had the lowest number of border crossings in 40 years. It’s kind of hard for people to understand or remember.”
Adams has also expressed frustration with the Biden administration, albeit less directly than Abbott.
Prior to a presidential visit to the city earlier this month, the mayor stressed that he is “very public” and easy to find, adding: “So while [Biden is] here, I think that they should really reflect on, New York City has done its part.”
