New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says allegations that he and his security detail illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border last month are �absolutely ridiculous.�

De Blasio said Wednesday that border agents had approved the June 21 crossing and that U.S. Customs and Border Protection was now engaging in distraction and intimidation.

De Blasio, a Democrat, visited the border with about 20 other mayors the day after President Donald Trump signed an order stopping family separations at the border.

De Blasio said border agents checked with a supervisor and allowed their cars to enter and exit Mexico via a regular checkpoint so they could get a different view of a Texas facility holding youths.

De Blasio said both times they showed their passports and at no point disregarded instructions from federal authorities.

(AP)