Disgruntled NYC asylum seekers are looking for 'better quality of life' in ... trends now
Migrants are getting fed up with the hustle and bustle of New York City, and are leaving for Canada on buses paid for with taxpayer money.
As migrants arrive in NYC, National Guard soldiers have been stationed in the Port Authority bus terminal to hand out free tickets for shuttles heading upstate towards the Canadian border.
City Hall sources said the move was part of a 're-ticketing' plan to help migrants work their way to Canada, according to The New York Post, where president Justin Trudeau has been outspoken about building a haven for people in need.
Some of the migrants taking the National Guardsmen up on their offer told The Post they were heading to Canada because they felt it would be more welcoming for them and provide better opportunities than the United States.
The news comes as a large group of migrants was publicly ousted from a ritzy midtown hotel they'd been housed in, and Mayor Eric Adams has been desperately trying to convince that the city's shelters are a safe and hospitable option.
Migrants camped outside the Watson Hotel in midtown Manhattan after they were kicked out
New York City Mayor Eric Adams has been desperately trying to solve the city's migrant crisis
NYC City Hall has been paying a number of organizations to assist in their re-ticketing program, according to The Post.
One such organization was Catholic Charities Community Services, which said it had helped 'thousands of new migrants' relocate out of NYC.
A spokesperson for Catholic Charities said some of those migrants 'reported their desire to relocate to other cities, and Catholic Charities provided some assistance for their travel expenses.'
One of those migrants participating in the re-ticketing plan was Raymond Peña, a Venezuelan who left NYC early Sunday morning.
'The military gave me and my family free bus tickets,' he told The Post. 'I am going to Canada for a better quality of life for my family.'
Those buses travel as far north as Plattsburgh - just shy of the Canadian border - where local van and taxi services bring them the rest of the way and drop them where Canadian police can gather them.
'There's gotta be 100 people a day,' driver Tyler Tambini, 23, told The Post. 'I do this all day. They get dropped off and I take them the rest of the way.'
The service Tambini drives for charges up to $50 to transport individuals, and families for $90.
Migrants get dropped steps from the Canadian border, where they cross and are apprehended by Canadian police.
Migrants camped outside the Watson Hotel in Manhattan. They have been forced to relocate to temporary housing facilities
Migrants bundle up against the winter cold outside the Watson Hotel in Manhattan on February 1
Representatives from City Hall did not comment on how much the re-ticketing program cost, and instead said it was merely a part of its longstanding plan for migrants.
'As we have said since the beginning of this crisis, our goal is help connect asylum seekers who want to move to a different location with friends, family, and/or community and, if needed, re-ticket to help get people to their final destination, if not New York City,' a spokesperson said, according to The Post.
NY Governor Kathy Hochul's office confirmed the National Guard had been deployed to Port Authority, but did not say where funds for re-ticketing came from.
'At the request of the city, National Guard members have been deployed to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where they greet people upon arrival, answer questions and direct them to services, including transportation options that they seek,' a spokesperson said.
Migrants rest outside a makeshift tent on the sidewalk outside the Watson Hotel in Manhattan
Inside a migrant housing center in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Migrants have complained the shelters are unsafe
Migrants outside the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, which is being used as a temporary shelter
Numerous migrants traveling to Canada reported being disgusted by the conditions they faced in NYC, where they felt at risk from homeless people and drug users.
'I wanted to live in New York because I thought it would be a better future for my daughters,' said 33-year-old Peruvian Susy Sanchez Solzarno, who was traveling with her family. 'But as the days
