Blaming Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and not the Biden administration for the migrant crisis in New York City is "ridiculous," said Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.
"Gov. Abbott is just trying to save his state, which is overrun with illegals," Van Drew said Friday during an appearance on Newsmax's "Newsline" a day after New York City Mayor Eric Adams' administration announced it was suing 17 Texas charter bus companies for $708 million for transporting thousands of illegal immigrants to the city.
Van Drew said lawmakers should keep their eyes on the open border.
"We're processing thousands, actually millions of illegals, and we knew that this was going to happen. This is not a surprise," he said.
Van Drew also said it's a farce that Adams suggested that the migrant crisis in the city has nothing to do with New York City being a sanctuary city.
"A sanctuary state or a sanctuary city like New York City is putting out the message, 'We welcome you; we think it's good to have the legals here, we're going to help you, we're going to subsidize in any way that we can, we won't cooperate with the feds,' that's what that means," Van Drew said.
"What this mayor of New York should do, and the governor of New Jersey should do and, quite frankly, every other city and state in the union, is No. 1, revoke their sanctuary state status or sanctuary city status, and No. 2, do resolutions to the federal government, to this president, to this administration, saying stop it.
"It's coming in at the border. The cartels are in control of the border. They're just flowing through. We've got to get it at the source. This has nothing to do, quite frankly, with what's happening right here. It has to do with the source, and that's [Gov. Abbott's] point."
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE -- See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.