Tiempo: Mayor Eric Adams reflects on 4-day trip to Latin America amid migrant crisis
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Mayor Eric Adams traveled thousands of miles to Latin America in an attempt to deter migrants from making the journey to the U.S. southern border.
His message is clear -- New York City is full and has no more room to house asylum seekers, but during his four-day trip, he did more than just send a message, he gained perspective on what the migrants are trying to escape.
"Thousands of individuals are living in congregant shelter setting, you're not automatically allowed to work, it is extremely difficult situations," Adams said.
That was his big message he brought with him to Latin America on his four-day trip to Mexico, Ecuador, Colombia and the Darien Gap.
He toured areas that asylum seekers must travel before making their way to the United States.
Adams started in Mexico, and it was on this trip that he supported President Biden's decision to resume building a border wall.
He was then off to Ecuador where he toured a refugee center run by Jesuit priests in Quito. He called it one solution to the migrant crisis.
Adams was then off to Colombia where he called on political leaders to come together to solve the migrant crisis.
He urged countries in the region to come together.
"I'm going to mobilize the mayors in our cities and call on our federal government to have real immigration reform and to ensure the right resources are going to those cities and our partners in this region," Adams said.
The mayor said he has a new perspective on the asylum seeker crisis now that he has visited Latin America.
"I'm so glad I went, it's one thing to read about these issues, see a video about it, but if you're on the ground and seeing what's happening in the Darien Gap, to speak with leaders in Colombia, leaders in Ecuador, the leaders in Mexico, to see the flow of people coming through, speaking with asylum seekers and hearing their thoughts, I said it before, there's no end in sight," Adams said.
Joe Torres has more on this week's episode of "Tiempo."
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