Crime in New York’s Subways and Chaos at the Southwest Border
‘Managing the decline’, or what turnstile jumpers and illegal migrants have in common
By Andrew R. Arthur on November 2, 2022
In a mid-October post on why so many midterm voters are concerned about immigration, I compared illegal entrants to subway “turnstile jumpers” — riders on public transit who evade paying the fee for the trip. A recent Wall Street Journal op-ed delved into subway safety, offering yet another border lesson — that like officials in New York, the Biden administration is simply managing the decline at the U.S.-Mexico line.
Turnstile Jumping, in Brief. For Americans who rarely if ever take public transit, here’s a brief primer. Large metropolitan transit systems set fares for riding their buses, street cars, and trains.
In D.C., the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) — jointly operated by the District, Maryland, and Virginia — has kiosks in subway (“Metro”) stations selling plastic “SmarTrip” cards that hold a cash balance, which riders can use to pay per trip on the Metro and bus lines. The price of the trip varies by distance and time of day (rush-hour fares are more expensive).
New York’s “Metropolitan Transportation Authority” (MTA) has a similar “MetroCard” system for its subways. Unlike WMATA, where the fare can vary depending upon the length of the trip and the time of day, every trip is $2.75 (there are lower fees for certain groups). A contactless “OMNY” system for bank cards and cell phones is also now available for such payment.
https://cis.org/Arthur/Crime-New-Yorks-Subways-and-Chaos-Southwest-Border
