The top elected official in Manhattan has yet to delete a string of tweets containing false information that he posted earlier this week despite admitting the claims he leveled against Texas Gov. Greg Abbott were false.
Mark Levine, a second-term Democrat serving as Manhattan borough president, claimed on Twitter Wednesday morning that migrants released by federal immigration officials in Texas border towns were being coerced onto buses headed to New York City and forced to sign nondisclosure agreements by Texas officials.
“It’s clear the migrants did not give their consent in any real way to be sent here. As many as 40% have family or close relations in other parts of the country who could provide them accommodation, but the migrants were not given the option of going to those places,” Levine wrote. “Not only is the State of Texas not coordinating with NYC, they have made migrants sign NDAs to ensure we get no advance warning of bus arrivals.”
Not only did Abbott’s office deny Levine’s statement — Levine, as well as his spokesman, wrote in an email and a follow-up post to Twitter that they knew the information shared days earlier was not true. However, Levine has not deleted the false information online, which has since been retweeted and favorited thousands of times.
‘FLAT-OUT LYING’: ABBOTT TEAM DENIES MIGRANTS MUST SIGN NDA TO BOARD BUSES
Instead, Levine issued a “clarification” follow-up statement Thursday, skirting a correction. He claimed he had been referring to contracted bus drivers who signed nondisclosure agreements, not the migrants themselves. Levine’s press secretary Reuben A. Torres wrote in an email that Levine was given this information “through a source.”
Levine’s office did not provide evidence to support his claim that up to 40% of migrants arriving on buses had family or friends outside New York. Additionally, Levine did not comment on whether he was planning to meet and assist the far higher number of migrants who are arriving in New York City on commercial flights from the border each day.
Abbott’s office was quick to correct the record Wednesday. Spokeswoman Renae Eze wrote in an email that no one had been or was currently being provided an NDA and shared a copy of the only document migrants are required to fill out and return before traveling to New York or Washington.
“These Democrat elites in New York City are flat-out lying and know nothing about Texas’s busing operations,” Eze told the Washington Examiner. “These migrants willingly chose to go to New York City, having signed a voluntary consent waiver, available in multiple languages, upon boarding that they agreed on the destination.”
Levine pushed back at Abbott in an interview with CNN Friday afternoon, alleging that since bus drivers cannot speak about their assignments, the city has no way of knowing when buses will arrive or how many people may need emergency housing.
“He has forbidden the bus companies from informing New York City about these arrivals. We can’t coordinate our response. What is his motive other than cruelty? Why not, at a minimum, coordinate with New York City so that we can be there providing services?” Levine told CNN host Alisyn Camerota. “There were two buses that came in the last hour that we had no notice were coming, and we had to scramble at the last minute to be there to receive these migrants.”
Contractors are hired by the Texas Division of Emergency Management and operate based on requests from the state. Levine did not state if he had reached out to Abbott directly or TDEM to get information about arrivals.
Abbott announced Friday afternoon that it had bused 1,500 migrants to New York City since Aug. 5. Federal immigration officials have released more than 1 million people into southern border towns over the past 18 months. Levine said the city would need federal money to help it respond to fewer than 100 people arriving daily by bus.
“We are going to need federal reimbursement for many of these services for the housing and food, and there is a program for that through FEMA,” Levine told CNN. “Texas was getting it, and now we are entitled to it as well.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Texas and Arizona began providing buses for migrants to travel to northern cities upon being released from federal immigration custody into border towns. Roughly a couple of hundred choose to take the buses each day, though between 2,000 and 5,000 people have been released into border communities daily over the past 18 months.
The large majority of migrants pay for their own travel expenses and opt to travel by commercial plane to where they have friends and family who may pay ticket costs. Those who cannot afford travel may request that nonprofit groups and charities pay for their flights, including Catholic Charities, which receives hundreds of migrants released by Border Patrol outside its McAllen, Texas, facility daily. Because migrants are no longer in federal custody, it is not the U.S. government’s responsibility to provide transportation, food, or shelter after release.
