New York City’s mayor cancels a border trip, citing safety concerns in Mexico

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s mayor nixed a planned Sunday trip to the U.S.-Mexico border over security concerns.

Mayor Eric Adams was slated to depart Saturday night to visit Brownsville and McAllen, Texas. The Democrat was expected to meet with U.S. immigration leaders as his city struggles to house new migrants seeking asylum.

But Adams spokesperson Amaris Cockfield said Sunday that the U.S. State Department flagged safety concerns at one of the mayor’s planned stops in Mexico, prompting his office to postpone the trip.

Adams had been invited to the southern border by Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande, she said.

“As Lent draws to a close, our team was excited to stand with faith and humanitarian leaders who have dedicated their lives to serving the most needy among us and we were eager to discuss our work in New York City and explore new ways to collaborate with leaders in cities across the country,” 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, 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.

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 U.S.

More than 180,000 migrants 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 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 immigrants without any time limits. Now, officials can decide whether to allow a migrant 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.