NEW YORK—New York City’s president nixed a planned Sunday excursion to the U. S. –Mexico borders over safety concerns.
Mayor Eric Adams was slated to flee Saturday evening to attend Brownsville and McAllen, Texas. The Democrat was expected to meet with U. S. immigration officials as his capital struggles to building fresh illegal immigrants seeking asylum.
But Adams director Amaris Cockfield said Sunday that the U. S. State Department flagged health problems at one of the president’s designed stops in Mexico, prompting his business to defer the journey.
Mr. Adams had been invited to the southern boundary by Sister Norma Pimentel, executive producer of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande, she said.
” As Lent draws to a close, our group was excited to have with trust and humanitarian officials who have dedicated their lives to serving the most poor among us and we were eager to discuss our work in New York City and discover new ways to work with officials in cities across the country”, Ms. Cockfield said in an emailed statement. ” We hope to continue our partnership with these nationally- recognized Latino leaders and organizations as we look for concrete solutions to resolve the crisis at the border”.
In a visit to El Paso, Texas in January, Mr. Adams offered up a blistering criticism of the federal government’s response to the increase of immigrants into U. S. cities far from the border.
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The former New York Police Department officer also took a four- day tour through Latin America in October in which he made stops in Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia and implored people to stop making the dangerous journey to the United States.
More than 180, 000 illegal immigrants have come to New York City since the spring of 2022, according to the mayor’s office. More than 64, 000 are in the city’s care through its more than 200 emergency shelter sites.
Last week, city officials and human rights advocates reached an agreement on Mr. Adams ‘ bid to suspend the city’s “right to shelter” policy.
The agreement essentially ends the city’s blanket requirement to provide shelter for adult illegal immigrants without any time limits. Now, officials can decide whether to allow an illegal immigrant to stay in a shelter beyond 30 days on a case- by- case basis.
Additional time will be granted if a person shows” significant efforts to resettle”, which can include making an appointment with an immigration lawyer, applying for a resettlement program or proof that they’re searching for housing.
