The city has filed a lawsuit in New York state court in Manhattan, seeking $708 million from these companies to cover the costs of housing and providing services to the migrants over the past two years.

The lawsuit stems from the large influx of more than 33,000 individuals who were bussed to New York City as part of Operation Lone Star. Launched in 2021, Operation Lone Star is a joint effort between the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Military Department aimed at curbing illegal immigration. The initiative was a response to what Texas Governor Greg Abbott termed "Biden's reckless open-border policies."

According to Mayor Adams, the transportation companies violated a 19th-century New York state law that mandates individuals who transport needy persons likely to seek government assistance from another state to bear the expenses. He emphasized that while New York City has played its part in managing the humanitarian crisis, it cannot shoulder the financial burden of political maneuvers from Texas alone.

Adams criticized Governor Abbott's handling of the situation, stating that the continued use of migrants as political pawns is inhumane and chaotic. He called the lawsuit a warning to all those who break the law in this manner.

Texas's efforts to enforce border security, an issue typically overseen by the federal government, have faced condemnation from the Justice Department, Homeland Security, civil rights groups, and legal experts in the past. On Wednesday, the Justice Department filed a lawsuit against Texas to block a controversial state immigration law, SB 4, that would grant state police the authority to arrest individuals suspected of crossing the US-Mexico border without authorization. The Justice Department deemed the law "clearly unconstitutional."

Republican-led states like Texas and Florida have used charter buses to transport migrants to "sanctuary" cities such as Chicago, New York, and Boston. In 2022, Mayor Adams declared a state of emergency due to the surging number of buses transporting migrants to New York City.

The New York State Governor, Kathy Hochul, expressed her support for Mayor Adams' lawsuit, stating that the charter bus companies should be held accountable for the costs of sheltering individuals in need of public assistance. Governor Hochul emphasized that the companies should not pass the expenses along to hard-working New Yorkers.

This lawsuit highlights the ongoing tensions between states over immigration policies and the financial burden of managing migrant populations. It remains to be seen how the legal battle between New York City and the charter bus companies will unfold and what implications it may have for future immigration-related disputes.