Expert: Statements by Politicians "Will Not Dampen the Flow" of Migrants

Joe Anuta, Politico, Oct. 5, 2023

"Joe Biden’s loudest Democratic critic on immigration is taking his message south of the border.  After repeatedly blasting President Joe Biden over his handling of the migrant crisis that’s overwhelming American cities, New York Mayor Eric Adams set off on a four-day blitz late Wednesday through a trio of Latin American nations.  The Democrat’s message: The no-vacancy sign is burning bright in New York City.  “My trip here is to speak directly to the people of all the countries that are migrating: There is no more room in New York,” Adams said Thursday to a tangle of local and international reporters packed into a state congress building in Puebla, Mexico.  “Our hearts are endless, but our resources are not.” ... Immigrant experts and Washington officials were skeptical that a junket by a U.S. mayor — paid partly with government funds for his security detail, personal money by his aides and by a nonprofit for his travel — would do much to advance those goals.  For one, the problems that have led to the increase in asylum-seekers are complex and have been building for years.  “A single trip by a politician will not dampen the flow,” said Stephen Yale-Loehr, an immigration attorney and professor at Cornell Law School. “Mayor Adams would do better to work cooperating with the Biden administration on this complex issue, rather than striking out on his own foreign policy pursuits.” "