Edited by: TJVNews.com

In an effort to curb the potential influx of illegal migrants from south of the border who are coming to New York City, Mayor Eric Adams is embarking on a four-day diplomatic mission to Central and South America. The primary objective of this international journey is to dissuade migrants from making the arduous journey to the Big Apple, as the city braces for a possible record-breaking surge in new asylum seekers, as was reported by the New York Post on Monday.

City Hall officially announced Mayor Adams’ trip on Monday, framing it as an opportunity to strengthen relations with leaders in regions known for being migrant hotspots, the Post reported. The mayor aims to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by illegal aliens along their paths to safety.

Mayor Adams’ itinerary begins south of the U.S.-Mexico border in Mexico City, followed by a visit to Puebla, a town with a historical connection to many Mexican migrants living in New York City, according to the Post report. From there, he will journey to Quito, the capital of Ecuador, as was noted in the Post report. His final stops will take him to Bogotá, Colombia, and Darién Gap, a notorious passage for illegal migrants heading north.

While the trip is officially framed as a diplomatic mission, sources with knowledge of the matter told the Post that its underlying goal is to leverage local media coverage to discourage migrants from choosing New York City as their destination. The timing of the trip is significant, as the Adams administration prepares for a potential surge in asylum seekers in the coming weeks, according to City Hall sources, the Post reported.

Molly Schaefer, the interim director of the city’s Asylum Seeker Operations, has recently raised concerns about the possibility of up to 4,200 migrants arriving in a single week, as was reported by the Post. For the past few months, the weekly arrival tally has remained around 3,000, indicating a potential significant increase.

City Hall is already taking precautionary measures to prepare for a potential rush of illegal immigrants. Officials anticipate that the daily count of migrants could surge to 500 to 600, up from the recent average of 300 to 400 arrivals, the Post report said.

A City Hall insider told the Post, “There has been a surge at the border. It has been discussed for a week at least.”

Rep Kayla Mamelak said, “We are anticipating a surge here based on a surge at the southern border. When there’s a surge at the border, we expect to see an influx of asylum seekers here,” the Post reported.

Mayor Adams’ chief adviser, Ingrid Lewis-Martin, has intensified her calls for the federal government to address the broken immigration policies. She has also called for stricter border control measures. According to the Post report, New York City has been disproportionately burdened with the financial costs of managing the asylum seeker crisis, with the Biden administration providing less than $150 million in assistance, despite projections that the city’s expenses could exceed $12 billion.

While the White House recently granted temporary protective status to Venezuelans who crossed the border before August 1, Mayor Adams has downplayed this move, arguing that it covers only a fraction of the more than 60,000 migrants currently under the city’s care, as was reported by the Post