Abbott responds to NYC mayor's invitation to spend the night in a migrant shelter

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) slammed New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s (D) invitation to stay at a migrant shelter in New York during his visit to the Big Apple, calling it a “gimmick” in an interview on Thursday.

“The invitation is nothing more than a gimmick,” Abbott said during an interview on Fox News’s “Hannity” on Thursday.

“And what I will suggest to the mayor of New York is there are people dying on his watch,” Abbott continued. “Law enforcement officers are being gunned down by people that have been arrested 20 times, and he needs to take charge and make sure they keep behind bars dangerous criminals who are killing his fellow New Yorkers.”

Abbott was likely referring to an NYPD officer, Jonathan Diller, who was recently killed at a traffic stop by a man who allegedly had been arrested reportedly 21 times, nine for felonies. The suspect had been released from prison in September 2021 after serving nearly five years.

Earlier on Thursday, Adams announced the city has continued to see a dramatic decline in crime, consistent with the year-over-year trend in most other large cities in the country.

Adams, at a press conference on Thursday, was asked about Abbott’s scheduled trip to New York, where he spoke later on Thursday at a Republican fundraiser.

“I’m going to offer him a stay in one of the HERRCs, so he can see what he has created and understand how we are treating people with the dignity and respect that he should have shown,” Adams said during a press conference Thursday, referring to a Humanitarian Emergency Response and Relief Centers (HERRC) set up to house migrants amid an influx in recent months.

“I’m not quite sure why he’s here and what he’s doing while here,” Adams said. “But he’s going to see how you can manage the crisis with coordination.”

The remarks are the latest escalation in the feud between the two public figures as they both have continued to deal with a surge in migration. Abbott has been sending buses of migrants to New York and has drawn criticism from Adams and others for deploying the tactic without giving notice.