Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to visit the U.S. southern border on Saturday at the invitation of Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director of Catholic Charities of Rio Grande. Friday, March 22, 2024.
Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to visit the U.S. southern border again on Saturday, this time at the invitation of City Secretary Sister Norma Pimentel. Catholic Charities of the Rio Grandeannounced on Friday.
Hitzoner said in a statement Friday that he was invited to discuss how his administration has managed the influx of more than 184,000 new arrivals over the past two years.
“Finding solutions to national problems requires national collaboration. I met with Sister Norma Pimentel, her team, and other leaders to discuss our work in New York City, and to support cities across the country. I look forward to exploring new ways to work with our leaders,” the mayor said. “As Lent draws to a close, we are proud to stand with leaders of faith and humanitarianism who have dedicated their lives to serving the poorest among us.”
A City Hall spokesperson declined to provide further details about what exactly the mayor will do while at the southern border.
The trip will last just one day, the mayor said at a press conference Friday.
“I won't miss you even if you blink for a second, I'll be back here again,” he said.
This is Adams' second visit to the southern border in more than a year. Arrive there by jet in January 2023. The trip follows many others Adams has made since the immigration crisis began two years ago, including 10 trips to Washington, D.C., to seek help from federal authorities; , a few days excursion Last fall I went to Mexico and South America.
During the press conference, Adams said he was “gratified” that “national leaders” recognized the city's efforts to admit tens of thousands of immigrants starting in 2022. The Mayor has repeatedly stated that the so-called success of his administration is clear from the following facts: Of the 184,000 new arrivals who have checked into the city's shelter system, more than 120,000 have escaped the city's protection.
“As New Yorkers, we should really rejoice,” Adams said. “We know this is hard. We know it's hard for all of us. But we stood up and 180,000 people gathered in our city. We deserved it. But we're not here to support government shootings. We stepped up.”
But Murad Awaudeh, president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition and a vocal critic of the mayor's immigration policies, said the trip was meant to draw New Yorkers' attention away from the mayor's myriad legal problems. He claimed it was a “PR stunt” aimed at deflecting.They include newly detailed sexual assault lawsuit An investigation into the mayor and at least two federal investigations targeting him. 2021 campaign and one of his top advisor Each.
“At a time when Mayor Adams is under increasing scrutiny for his own legal issues, he is once again trying to divert attention from his own problems by scapegoating immigrants,” Awawude said in a statement. Stated. “This is just a PR stunt to show that he is a powerhouse on immigration, and that he has no authority over federal policy to convince vulnerable people seeking safety not to do so in New York.” Nor is this initiative a solution to New York's economic affordability crisis. “
