Asylum Seeker Bused To NYC From Texas Commits Suicide In Shelter

A woman seeking asylum committed suicide in a shelter in New York, according to a statement released by Mayor Eric Adams (D) on Monday.

“Yesterday (Sunday), an asylum seeker in one of our facilities took her own life. Our hearts break for this young woman and any loved ones she may have, and we, as a city mourn her,” the statement said.

In a press briefing, Adams told reporters he was not allowed by law to provide more details about the woman but confirmed she was a mother.

The death occurred as the city struggles to deal with what the mayor characterized as a “man-made humanitarian crisis” involving the transportation of migrants from Republican-led states to cities controlled by Democrats.

Since April, Texas, Arizona and Florida have been transporting asylum seekers to cities like New York, Washington, D.C., and Chicago to pressure the Biden administration to enact tougher measures on border control.

Adams said his office is considering legal options to deal with Texas. The mayor has criticized Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) for sending buses to New York without notice. Now, he is considering a cooperation with the mayor of El Paso, Osmar Lesser (D-Texas).

“When we reached out to the mayor of El Paso, he was willing to sit down and share what his concerns are and what our concerns are and figure out a humane way to coordinate,” Adams told reporters. “And we are clear, we cannot handle all of your migrants, mayor of El Paso. But we were able to communicate with them. We were not able to do that with Gov. Abbott’s team.”

According to Adams, 11,600 asylum seekers and migrants are in New York today and 8,500 of them are registered in the city’s system. The city is considering solutions to deal with the crisis, including using cruise ships as shelters.