AUSTIN — During Austin Mayor Steve Adler's visit to the border at the height of President Donald Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy, Adler reportedly illegally crossed the border, according to a report from Fox News.
The United States Conference of Mayors, including Austin Mayor Adler and several Austin City Council members, gathered In Tornillo, Texas June 21 to visit an immigrant shelter at the Texas border. Adler and several other mayors discussed their opposition to separating families and called on the government for action.
Border protection claimed New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Austin Mayor Adler illegally crossed the border between Mexico and the United States during that visit, according to a letter Fox News said was sent on June 25. An agent reportedly approached the group and asked if they had received authorization from a Border Patrol or public affairs officer to be in the area.
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Mayor Adler's office gave KVUE the following statement July 11:
We were never detained. I wish the border agents were devoting all this effort to reuniting children with their families, as the courts have required. If this is an attempt to intimidate, or silence such calls, it won’t work.
KVUE has reached out to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for a statement.