New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ administration filed a lawsuit against 17 bus companies on Thursday for transporting 33,000 migrants from Texas. In the filing to the New York Supreme Court, Adams’ administration accuses Texas of violating New York Social Services Law as part of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s plan to expel migrants who cross the US-Mexico border illegally.

With an influx of migrants to Texas beginning in 2022, Abbott instituted an approach aimed at transporting those arriving in the US from Mexico to other states across the country by bus. The approach was particularly aimed at Democratic states. According to the lawsuit, bus companies directed by Abbott were paid roughly $1,650 per person, an inflated price compared to a single one-way ticket.

The lawsuit stated that the city is seeking $708 million from the companies to mitigate the costs of providing services to the migrants in the city and to recoup the cost already spent. In support, Adams claims that the bus companies “knowingly” brought “a needy person from out of state for the purpose of making him a public charge.”

“New York City has and will continue to do our part to manage the humanitarian crisis, but we cannot bear the costs of reckless political ploys from the state of Texas alone,” said Mayor Adams in a recorded video posted on X (formerly Twitter). “These companies have violated state law by not paying the costs for caring for these migrants.”

Texas responded to the suit by spotlighting the Biden administration’s alleged failure to enforce secure borders, forcing the state to act independently. “Texas will not back down – we will continue to build new barriers, repel illegal crossings, and transport migrants to relieve overwhelmed communities such as New York,” said Governor Abbott in a statement posted on X. In a statement, Abbott went on to call the lawsuit “baseless,” noting that “Adams knows nothing about the US Constitution, or the constitutional right to travel that has been recognized by the US Supreme Court. Every migrant bused or flown to New York City did so voluntarily, after having been authorized by the Biden Administration to remain in the United States.” Abbott also threatened to hold Adams legally accountable for “his violations.”

The lawsuit comes a week after Adams issued an executive order that restricted when buses may arrive in the city, requiring a 32-hour notice and a designated arrival time requirement. Since then, buses have started arriving to areas outside of New York City, only to then have migrants board other forms of transportation bound for the city.