Democrat El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser says he sent migrants to NYC ‘to help them’

The Democratic mayor of El Paso, Texas, on Sunday defended his transfer to ship his personal buses of migrants to New York Metropolis — with the permission of Mayor Eric Adams — saying his purpose is to “assist them get to their vacation spot.”

“The individuals are not coming to El Paso, they’re coming to America, and that’s one thing that’s actually necessary,” Mayor Oscar Leeser mentioned in an look on ABC’s “This Week.”

Most of the asylum seekers from Venezuela, nevertheless, do not need “sponsors” within the US, leaving them with out apparent locations, Leeser famous.

“A sponsor is somebody the place it’s a member of the family or a pal, the place they’ve organized they usually have transportation to go to their vacation spot,” he mentioned.

“Now we have about 50 % of the individuals at present that do not need a sponsor, they don’t have cash. So we’re serving to and dealing to get them to the place they wish to go.”

Following Leeser on “This Week,” Adams echoed Democratic counterpart’s level about “sponsors” — however didn't immediately handle The Submit’s report that his administration had agreed to obtain as many as 200 migrants per day from El Paso.

“Because the mayor of El Paso said, these migrants and asylum seekers usually are not coming to any explicit metropolis. They’re coming to America,” Adams mentioned Sunday.

El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser defended his move to send buses of migrants to New York City with the permission of Mayor Eric Adams.
El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser defended his transfer to ship buses of migrants to New York Metropolis with the permission of Mayor Eric Adams.
AP Picture/Astrid Galvan, file
Leeser said his goal is to help the migrants "get to their destination."
Leeser mentioned his purpose is to assist the migrants “get to their vacation spot.”
Robert Miller

Information of the deal on Friday got here as Adams continued to denounce Republican governors over related relocation program. The mayor has additionally repeatedly blamed the continuing inflow of latest arrivals for overwhelming the town’s shelter system.

Hizzoner mentioned Sunday that he was centered on “coordination” with native governments and the Biden administration to deal with what he referred to as “an American disaster… made by human arms by among the governors in our southern states” — echoing his long-standing criticisms of GOP leaders, together with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

“As you noticed the mayor of El Paso point out that when you've gotten sponsors, it’s a neater transition,” Adams mentioned. “If we'd have correctly coordinated with the governors in these Southern states and state that, let’s discover the place the sponsors, we now have massive Venezuelan communities in America.”

Mayor Eric Adams called buses of migrants being sent by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a "political ploy."
Mayor Eric Adams referred to as buses of migrants being despatched by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a “political ploy.”
Robert Miller
Migrants from El Paso getting off the bus at the Port Authority in Manhattan on September 6, 2022.
Migrants from El Paso getting off the bus on the Port Authority in Manhattan on September 6, 2022.
Robert Miller

He added: “There was no coordination in any respect with Governor Abbott and Governor DeSantis simply needed to make use of this [as a] political ploy as a substitute of understanding these are individuals, these are households, these are human beings.”

El Paso started sending migrants to the Huge Apple on Aug. 23. Leeser mentioned at an El Paso Metropolis Council work session Monday he was “grateful” to Adams for welcoming migrants to New York Metropolis.


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Adams spokesman Fabien Levy denied on Friday that the town had agreed to just accept the migrants being despatched from El Paso.

However Metropolis Corridor additionally launched an announcement from Leeser that mentioned, “We tremendously admire the help and cooperation of Mayor Adams, his staff and the individuals of New York as we handle this creating scenario that's altering on an hour-to-hour foundation.”

As of Wednesday, El Paso’s Workplace of Emergency Administration had paid for 33 constitution buses to journey right here, a spokeswoman for the Texas metropolis mentioned. Adams mentioned one other six buses had arrived on Sunday, however didn't specify from the place.

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