Editor’s Note: Eric Adams sadly delivered mixed messages on trip to Latin America

New York City Mayor Eric Adams faced the difficult challenge of sending two messages at the start of his trip south of the border last week. The first was his intention of warning asylum-seekers that they should not come to New York City. The city, he insisted, had run out of capacity in its efforts to meet New York’s right to shelter consent decree, which requires the city to accommodate anyone who asks for shelter. He actually kicked off his trip two days after the city went to court asking a judge for the ability to suspend the legal agreement.

But Adams, who has stated he’s very much a supporter of New York City’s historic welcoming of immigrants, also delivered a message to highlight the bonds shared by the city and his hosts during his first stop in Mexico. “We are neighbors. We are familia. Mi casa es su casa. Your struggles are my struggles,” he said during a speech in the city of Puebla. The crowd listening broke out into applause.

Those were comforting words coming from the mayor of a city of immigrants. However, it also was heartbreaking that he couldn’t say them without noting that New York City has no more room for sheltering migrants. “Our hearts are endless, but our resources are not,” Adams said. “They deserve a more dignified environment than we are able to give.” I don’t blame the mayor for trying to have it both ways. Unfortunately, offering, “Mi casa es su casa,” is cruel when someone is trying to shut the door on that casa.