New York City mayor cancels trip to southern border due to ‘safety concerns’

New York City Mayor Eric Adams cancelled an expected Sunday trip to the U.S.-Mexico border in the wake of raised safety concerns, his office confirmed to The Hill.

Adams was expected to leave for the U.S.-Mexico border on Saturday to visit Brownsville and McAllen, Texas, to meet with humanitarian leaders. He was invited by Sister Norma Pimental, executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande, a spokesperson for New York City Hall wrote to The Hill.

“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,” a spokesperson for New York City Hall wrote to The Hill.

“But due to safety concerns at one of the cities we were going to visit in Mexico flagged by the U.S. Department of State we have decided to pause this visit at this time,” the spokesperson continued.

It was not immediately clear what prompted these concerns.

The cancelled trip comes as New York City faces it own challenges in housing an influx of migrants in the city. Adams was one of various mayors to sound the alarm over needing more resources to deal with the surge in migrants.

New York City has been one of various Democratic-led cities targeted by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s busing of thousands of asylum seekers in protest of the Biden administration’s immigration policies. The Big Apple has been under a state of emergency since October 2022 in the wake of the “unprecedented humanitarian crisis.”

Since the spring of 2022, more than 184,000 migrants have come to New York City seeking assistance, according to the city’s office.

“Already, more than 120,000 of them have been able to take the next steps in their journeys towards self sufficiency, thanks to our hard work. Finding solutions to national issues requires national collaboration,” the spokesperson said.

In January, Adams visited El, Paso, Texas, where he said he was “extremely disappointed” in the federal government’s lack of urgency in responding to what he called this “man-made crisis.”