New York City mayor again heads to the southern border to highlight influx of migrants

NEW YORK — Eric Adams said Friday he will be taking his second public trip as New York City mayor to the southern border over the weekend as the city prepares for an increase in asylum-seekers this spring.

While City Hall did not immediately release details of the jaunt, Adams divulged during a radio appearance that he plans to touch down Saturday night and meet with national immigration leaders — whom he said have praised his administration’s handling of the crisis.

“They want to applaud what we are doing and rally around us and have other municipalities come and see what we are doing,” he said during a segment of the Reset Talk Show.

Roughly 182,000 migrants have passed through the city’s social safety net, with nearly 65,000 still in its care.

Adams last visited the border over a year ago, where he met with Democratic El Paso Mayor Oscar Leeser and vowed to turn up the pressure on the federal government — including fellow Democrat President Joe Biden.

It has not worked.

Adams’ criticism of the White House — which has been highlighted by Republicans — has alienated him from Biden’s inner circle as the president faces a tough reelection campaign with immigration emerging as a top issue. And the federal government has provided only a modicum of funding to address the problem.

It was not immediately clear where Adams would be traveling and who would accompany him. His last sojourn featured a retinue of security and immigration advisers — one of whom recently delayed the opening of a migrant facility in Brooklyn as he tried in vain to steer a security contract to a fundraiser and longtime friend of Adams.