Mayor Bill de Blasio flew to Texas today for a press conference with a group of other mayors at a detention center near the US-Mexico border. Other Mayors in attendance included LA’s Eric Garcetti and Seattle’s Jenny Durkan. When de Blasio approached the gate at the facility he was politely told by guards he would need to stay on his side of the fence.

Watch: @NYCMayor turned away from children's facility in Texas https://t.co/dFXDZPw2TU pic.twitter.com/Ug7BFUQ5w6

— Eyewitness News (@ABC7NY) June 21, 2018

This image sort of sums it up:

“Sir, to my knowledge everyone is unavailable” – border agent to Mayor when he asks to speak to someone about checking on the detained kids – many of whom could end up in New York City. pic.twitter.com/InYYRYTLfi

— eric phillips (@EricFPhillips) June 21, 2018

The NY Post reports de Blasio expected to be turned away:

Hizzoner on Thursday morning joined a dozen mayors from across the country to demand entry to an immigration facility near El Paso, Texas, where kids who’ve been separated from their moms and dads under the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy are being held — despite admitting it was a futile effort.

“We fully expect to not be told the truth, we fully expect to be turned away the way senators and congressmen have been turned away just trying to get the honest truth about what’s happening to these children just as all of you have been doing,” de Blasio said at the press conference.

But he insisted it wasn’t a publicity stunt — but rather that it is his duty as an elected official to ask questions about what’s happening 2,000 miles out of his own district.

As these images put out by de Blasio’s press secretary show, he definitely wasn’t there for publicity. Perish the thought:

Mayor and @cbsmireya @CBSNews talking at the border. “Kids are still coming into New York City – last night – after the executive order was signed.” pic.twitter.com/EXVMkoURp2

— eric phillips (@EricFPhillips) June 21, 2018

I’m guessing this publicity effort was put together a few days ago when it seemed this could drag on for weeks. Trump’s signing of an executive order yesterday probably meant a lot of speeches had to be reworked in the last 24-hours. The executive order did get mentioned during the press conference but only as an incomplete effort. The point, as Move On and others were already noting yesterday, is to keep pushing and demand more and, most importantly, to keep this story in the news as long as possible. Here’s de Blasio speaking during the press conference today.