Judge Strikes Down New York City’s Bid to Block Illegal Immigrant Buses From Texas

A New York judge ruled that New York City can’t use an 1817 ‘anti-pauper’ law to block Texas from busing illegal immigrants.

Illegal immigrants board a bus en route to a shelter at Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City on May 18, 2023. Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

A judge has ruled that New York City cannot invoke a centuries-old “anti-pauper” law to block Texas from offering illegal immigrants free bus rides to the Big Apple.

In a decision published on Nov. 7, New York Supreme Court Justice Mary Rosado dismissed a lawsuit filed in January by the commissioner of the New York City Department of Social Services against charter buses contracted by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to transport illegal immigrants to New York City.