Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday fiercely defended his recent fact-finding excursion to Latin America from critics who claim it was futile since he has no control over foreign policy.
Hizzoner, during an Oct. 10 news conference, told reporters his four-day trip to Mexico, Ecuador and Colombia last week achieved “exactly what we wanted to accomplish.” The defense came in the face of criticism from groups such as the New York Immigration Coalition (NYIC) that argued the jaunt was a waste of time given the mayor’s lack of influence over international affairs.
Adams said it was crucial for him to be “on-the-ground” in the countries many migrants pass through on their journey to the United States. He said it provided him with a better understanding as to how many of the estimated 122,700 asylum seekers have wound up in the five boroughs.
“Generals lead from the front,” Adams said. “You don’t send your troops into battle and ask how was the war? I lead from the front. And what I learned on this trip, taking those four days going to Ecuador, Mexico, and Colombia, was extremely valuable and you cannot learn this from just reading about it. And the goal was to do just that, it was to have a firsthand observation.”
Additionally, the mayor said Gotham is an “international city” and he must address the migrant crisis on a “New York City, statewide, [national] and international” level.
Adams also ventured to Latin America, he said, to give migrants a “true picture” — via local media outlets — of what life in the Big Apple would be like for them. He sought to counter an alleged “propaganda campaign” perpetuated by smugglers on social media that paints the city as a place where immigrants can stay in a “five-star” hotel room for free and immediately be able to work — which he says is not the reality.
In particular, the mayor defended his decision to visit the “extremely dangerous” Darien Gap: a treacherous span of jungle that connects North and South America in which many migrants pass through on their journey to the U.S. Migrants face several dangers while traversing the 60-mile region, which is comprised of dense jungles, mountains and swamps and controlled by paramilitary groups and smugglers.
Following the advice of Colombian law enforcement officials, the mayor did not enter the gap on foot and instead observed the area from the air. He also visited a beach where migrants board boats to enter the jungle region.
Adams insisted the Colombian National Police did not have to “scramble” to provide security in the area for him, appearing to respond to a New York Daily News report that suggested as much. But he said the general in charge of the National Police stated “‘it’s dangerous, Eric, we would rather you not go, but if you decide to go, we need you to adhere to our policies.’”
When asked by a reporter about what he hoped to accomplish by visiting the Darien Gap, Adams said that he was there to understand the situation on the ground, rather than convince individual migrants not to come to New York through one-on-one conversations.
“If anyone thought we were going to go down to the Darien Gap and communicate with 10,000 people and engage in in-depth conversations on a three-country four-day trip, that’s just not being realistic,” he said.
Instead, Adams said he attempted to use local newspapers, TV channels and radio stations to get his message about the city out there. He reflected that it is unclear if the media blitz will actually dissuade droves of migrants from continuing to come to the city.
“My role was to be as transparent as possible and that was my intent,” he said. “Was it successful 100%? I don’t know that. We’re not going to know. Is someone going to hear the voice of the mayor of the city saying ‘you’re not coming to a five-star hotel?’ I’m hoping he did.”
