NYC mayor says it'll cost taxpayers $1 billion to care for the thousands of migrants Texas Gov. Abbott is busing in

• New York City's mayor declared a state of emergency Friday over the influx of migrants being bused in.
• Mayor Eric Adams said the city expects to spend $1 billion on what he called a "crisis."

The mayor of New York City declared a state of emergency on Friday over the influx of migrants largely being bused in from Texas.

"This is a humanitarian crisis that started with violence and instability in South America, and it is being accelerated by American political dynamics," Mayor Eric Adams said. He expects the city will be on the hook for $1 billion to tackle what he called a "crisis."

The Democratic mayor added, "We are at the edge of the precipice. We need serious partnership and realistic solutions" as he called for emergency federal and state funding to provide care for the migrants.

Adams said that New York City's shelter system completely has been inundated — it's operating at nearly full capacity — and is on track to reach record highs.

Since April, more than 17,000 asylum-seeking migrants, mostly from South America, have been bused directly to New York City from the southern border "without notice," Adams said.

"The majority are adults who cannot legally work in this country," he said. "Many are families with school-aged children. Some are in desperate need of serious medical care."

The city has received an average of five to six busloads of migrants per day since early September with at least nine more buses arriving on Thursday alone, said the mayor.

"Our right to shelter laws, our social services, and our values are being exploited by others for political gain," Adams said, continuing, "We have not asked for this. There was never any agreement to take on the job of supporting thousands of asylum seekers."

To deal with the influx, the city has already set up 42 hotels as emergency shelters. And it is reportedly considering housing migrants on cruise ships in New York City waters.

A spokesperson for Norwegian Cruise Line confirmed to Insider on Friday that the city has contacted the company "about a potential charter of a cruise vessel."

"No agreement has been reached and we cannot speculate about the outcome of any ongoing business discussions," the spokesperson said.

In recent months, Republican governors like Greg Abbott of Texas — who have criticized the Biden administration's immigration policies — have sent migrants to Democratic cities and areas.

Abbott had thousands of migrants bused to New York City alone since August.

"This responsibility was simply handed to us without warning as buses began showing up," Adams said Friday. "There's no playbook for this, no precedent."