Illegal immigrants who arrived in New York City recently, amid the immigration crisis facing the southern border, are leaving the Big Apple and heading for Canada on taxpayer-funded buses, a recent New York Post report revealed.
A source within the National Guard confirmed that National Guard officers are giving out free tickets to illegals at the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan.
The money for the tickets comes out of the pockets of New York taxpayers. Mayor Eric Adams' administration paid several companies to run programs for immigrants that include a "re-ticketing" so that immigrants can travel to other cities in the country if they so desire.
"The military gave me and my family free bus tickets," one Venezuelan migrant told the Post.
They hope that "Canada is not like the United States"
Word has "spread" among illegals that Canada is an excellent place to immigrate to. Some immigrants told The Post that are dissatisfied with the quality of life in the sanctuary city and would prefer to accept "free tickets" to the neighboring country, where they say there are better job opportunities, more organization, less drug abuse, and fewer people living on the street:
"I'm going to Canada for a better quality of life for my family," an immigrant named Raymond Peña told the Post.
Peruvian Susy Sanchez Solzarno crossed from New York to Canada with her husband and two daughters. She entered the U.S. with her family across the southern border in December and spent a month staying at a Marriott hotel in Queens. She said that she left the U.S. for Canada to give her daughters a "better future":
I wanted to live in New York because I thought it would be a better future for my daughters (...) But as the days went by, I saw insecurity, many homeless people, many people who shout and are disrespectful, and many people on drugs (...) I am going to Canada for the safety and future of my daughters (...) I only pray to God that everything goes well and that Canada is not like the United States.
Venezuelan Manuel Rodon decided to leave the city after he was "kicked out" of the Row NYC hotel near Times Square and moved to a homeless shelter in Brooklyn:
Many of the Americans used drugs there (...) I feel that Canada will be safer. It is a much quieter country than the United States.
Rodon said he knew eight other Venezuelans who had taken the same trip: "They all got free tickets, too. It was the same process (...) It took them three days to go through customs. Everyone is safe. They live in Montreal.
Adams won't respond
The Post asked Mayor Adams' office for explanations about the bus tickets, his press secretary, Fabien Levy, clarified some things, but did not answer questions about the cost of the "re-ticketing":
As we have said since the beginning of this crisis, our goal is to help connect asylum seekers who want to move to a different location with friends, family, and/or community and, if necessary, reissue the ticket to help get people to their final destination, if not New York City.
Hazel Crampton-Hays, a spokeswoman for Gov. Kathy Hochul, said neither the state nor the National Guard was paying for the bus tickets and referred The Post to the mayor's office for additional information:
At the city's request, National Guard members were deployed at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where they greet people upon arrival, answer questions and direct them to services, including the transportation options they seek.
