New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and his security detail illegally crossed the border into the United States, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.
NYC mayor @BilldeBlasio disputes Border Protection allegations he crossed border illegally https://t.co/kCDOWIp2Dt
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 11, 2018
De Blasio traveled to Texas to visit an immigrant children holding facility in Tornillo, Texas, and was denied access to the facility when he arrived.
He then attempted to get around security by going to Mexico and then illegally sneaking back in to the U.S. by crossing a dried river bed.
De Blasio and his entourage were then stopped by U.S. Border Patrol agents who informed them that what they were doing was unlawful, since they hadn’t received official authorization.
The group then disobeyed the agent’s orders to wait for his supervisor.
“The agent ordered the group to remain in place, explaining he needed to advise his supervisor of the situation and transport them to a port of entry for inspection as required by law. Disregarding the agent’s order, the group departed the area and illegally crossed back into Mexico,” a letter from Border Patrol said.
De Blasio insisted that he didn’t do anything wrong.
“While we were there, we were told where the border line was and we respected it,” de Blasio said.
Austin Mayor Steve Adler, who was also present with de Blasio, shared his side of the story and reaffirmed that the group wasn’t detained, and that they cooperated with law enforcement.
“The Mayor and Council Member were neither apprehended or detained. They observed a border patrol agent briefly speak with a United States law enforcement officer and then the agent left,” Adler’s Chief of Staff said.
The mayor then suggested that the Trump Administration was attempting to prevent him from “speaking out.”
“Threats by the Trump Administration will not stop me from speaking out, and they won’t stop my fellow mayors from speaking out, and they won’t stop everyday New Yorkers and Americans from speaking out. When our federal government is doing something that’s hurting people, they don’t want that to be the focus of attention. So now, trying to get the focus off a policy literally called ‘family separation,’ they’re trying again to distract,” de Blasio said.
The letter also clarified the agency’s commitment to enforcing border laws.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the United States Border Patrol take violations of law very seriously,” the letter said.
De Balsio has been a critic of the Trump Administration and its zero tolerance illegal immigration policy that has resulted in criminal prosecution toward anyone who is caught illegally crossing the border.
