NJ Migrant Bus Arrivals Must Give 32 Hours' Notice, Murphy Says

NEW JERSEY - Gov. Phil Murphy is demanding bus companies carrying migrants from the U.S.-Mexico border to give at least 32 hours' notice before arriving in New Jersey, according to a letter addressed to 23 bus operators Monday.

Over 1,800 asylum seekers transported from the U.S.-Mexico border arrived on dozens of charter buses in the state over the course of the last week, Murphy said. Read more: Dozens Of Migrants Dropped In Trenton Stayed, Mayor Says

“Apparently, charter buses are transporting these individuals to New Jersey due to the operators’ unwillingness to transport their passengers to New York City” given the New York City mayor’s executive order last month capping new arrivals, Murphy wrote.

“Unfortunately, these buses have arrived in New Jersey with no advance notice to appropriate state or local officials, and without taking proper precautions to ensure that passengers safely reach their ultimate destinations,” Murphy added, noting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is reportedly funding the charter buses with state taxpayer money.

You can read the full letter here.

Speaking at an unrelated press conference Monday, the governor called the busing of asylum seekers at the border to northern sanctuary states a “gimmick” from Abbott that can be mitigated by “comprehensive immigration reform.”

“We know the elements of the deal, we know it has to be humane, responsible, fit for the 21st century, but we have to secure our borders,” Murphy said. “We have to do the right things.”

“The treatment of these individuals is not humane at the moment, including the fact that we’re getting no notice of their arrival,” Murphy added.

When asked if the bus companies will face sanctions if they do not meet Murphy's demands, the governor said the consequences are "to be determined, but all options are on the table.”

The news comes after the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reportedly applied to use $5 million in pandemic relief funding for emergency shelter operations last summer amid an expected increase of asylum seekers in the state, though the program never came to fruition, POLITICO first reported. Related: $5M Migrant Spending In NJ Considered But Never Realized: Report

“To date, no American Rescue Plan funds have been distributed for this purpose,” a Murphy spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO.

It wasn't immediately clear why the administration didn't move forward with the funding request, though Murphy said last week that migrant arrivals in the state is “at the moment ... a manageable situation" and noted most asylum-seekers are not staying in New Jersey.

Despite Murphy's demands, local officials in municipalities where migrants have been dropped off, including Edison, Fanwood, Secaucus and Trenton, remain at odds over how to move forward with the current situation.

In Edison, two migrant buses that made a stop on Dec. 30 were turned away due to a lack of “financial or social resources to house immigrants in hotels or provide other accommodations,” Edison Mayor Sam Joshi told Patch.

The migrants arrived on chartered buses and then made their way to New York City via NJ Transit, Patch previously reported. On the second day of arrivals, Edison police informed the migrants that Edison train station was not a "24-hour stop" and rerouted the charter.

New Jersey Transit police similarly waited for migrant arrivals in Secaucus to reroute them onto a New York-bound train, a source told the New York Post.

During a recent council meeting, Edison Councilwoman Margot Harris said she was "disappointed" in the mayor’s rhetoric surrounding the migrant crisis before positing a subcommittee to discuss the evolving migrant situation. Read more: Activists Ask Edison Mayor To Apologize For Comments On Migrant Buses

In a Jan. 4 letter to Murphy, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) called for a “compassionate response” to migrants being bused into the state, emphasizing cooperation between local and federal authorities to help with the ongoing issue.

“Give us some notice, give us some parameters,” Murphy said Monday. “But at the same time, let’s get adults in the room, at the table - and by the way, Greg Abbott ain’t one of them - and let’s figure this out.”