New York City schools preparing to enroll 1,000 migrant children who arrived on buses from Texas

NEW YORK — Dozens of migrants from the Texas border arrived Friday in New York City, where leaders continue to accuse Texas Gov. Greg Abbott of using them as political pawns.

Meanwhile, with the school year just weeks away, the city has now released a plan for the migrant children, CBS2’s John Dias reported. 

Local leaders have been urging Abbott to stop sending the migrants. They said Abbott is “ignoring humanity” and asked him to coordinate on a better method. 

One by one, asylum seekers flowed out of a pair of buses. They were greeted with handshakes outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Bags full of supplies were passed out at the mayor’s office. Nonprofits donated new shoes, since these refugees walked for miles and days in their old ones. Some migrants arrived shoeless. 

“This is what America stands for. We get people arriving here barefoot, and we are going to give them shoes and food,” said Alexander Rapport, executive director for Masbia. 

Seventy-eight migrants, including 15 children, arrived on Friday. The youngest was 2 months old.

“What Governor Abbott is doing, using human beings as political pawns, it’s not leadership. It’s cowardice,” said Manuel Castro, commissioner of the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. 

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Local leaders, including Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, said they’re concerned that more children are arriving on the buses. But they said they’re relieved the kids are now in a sanctuary city. 

“I want people to be thinking about, what could be happening in your life? What would cause you to take your newborn, take your child and walk for a month in hopes that you can get some assistance?” Williams said. 

Schools Chancellor David Banks announced the launch of Project Open Arms, which will enroll roughly 1,000 migrant children into the school system. 

“This city represents all of us, and for all of us it’s vitally important to welcome migrants to New York City,” Banks said. 

The program will be mostly concentrated in six school districts in every borough except Staten Island, Banks said. The enrollment process will be simplified for parents and children will be able to take ESL classes.

But the city is struggling to provide housing, having already opened 13 hotels for extra beds. 

The Adams administration issued an emergency solicitation seeking bids for up to 5,000 units in commercial hotels and other facilities that have to be able to provide services on a 24-hour notice. 

“We’re not going to place individuals into, you know, secondary standard type of locations,” New York City Social Services Commissioner Gary Jenkins said in an exclusive interview with CBS2’s political reporter Marcia Kramer.

Jenkins said the Adams administration is also committed to helping the migrants with job training.