New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio might have broken both Mexican and American immigration laws

Bill de Blasio gets told he cannot visit a tent facility.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection is accusing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) of violating both American and Mexican immigration laws during a trip to the border last month, The Associated Press reports. De Blasio joined 20 other mayors near El Paso, Texas, on June 21 to get a firsthand look at how President Trump's "zero tolerance" family separation policy was being carried out. The mayor's efforts were frustrated when he was denied entry to a migrant child holding facility.

Not to be discouraged, de Blasio then crossed into Mexico on foot, and crossed back to the U.S., to get a view of the facility and take pictures. CBP claims that a Border Patrol agent spotted the mayor's group and asked if anyone from the agency was with them to authorize their presence; the de Blasio group answered in the negative. Asked how they had gotten to their location, the group motioned to Mexico.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.