The vast majority of Americans, particularly NYC residents that poll in the 80%+ range don't want new illegals using their social services. This issue is going to cause support for the Dems to drop. AOC may boost her support in her NY district but her message won't help her party. On the other hand, she's only in it for herself.
Border czar Tom Homan slams AOC over webinar to help illegal immigrants avoid arrest: ‘I thought I educated her on this’
By Victor Nava
Published Feb. 14, 2025
Updated Feb. 14, 2025, 10:17 p.m. ET
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Border czar Tom Homan suggested on Friday that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be “impeding” federal immigration authorities from arresting and deporting criminal illegal immigrants.
Homan took issue with a webinar hosted by Ocasio-Cortez’s office earlier this week explaining the tactics Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities have been using in New York to arrest illegal immigrants — in an apparent effort to help migrants avoid deportation.
“I sent an email today to the deputy attorney general. At what level is that impediment? Is that impediment?” Homan said of the webinar in an interview with Fox News host Laura Ingraham.
“Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts? If so, what are we going to do about it?” Homan said he asked the Justice Department.
“Maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now,” he continued, arguing that “Impediment is impediment, in my opinion.
“I’m not a prosecutor, but we need some further guidance on that.”
Homan told Fox News Digital, “Let’s pray that she is not ‘educating’ the next murderer of a young college nursing student on how to evade arrest by ICE.”
Ocasio-Cortez did not participate in the Facebook webinar, during which an immigrant rights advocate informed viewers recent ICE raids in the Empire State have taken place “early in the morning” and in “public places” and have often involved unmarked ICE vehicles stopping cars as people drive to and from work.
The speaker — Genia Blaser, a lawyer with the Immigrant Defense Project — also noted that ICE arrests have taken place during required check-ins with federal immigration authorities and, outside of New York City, during probation or parole appointments and when migrants are being transferred from police custody.
Another speaker with the Immigrant Defense Project identified as Laura, later told viewers that her group has “very, very, rarely” seen cases in New York where ICE agents have obtained judicial warrants, and suggested that migrants refuse to cooperate with federal authorities unless they produce a warrant.
Ocasio-Cortez mocked Homan on X for insinuating that she may have run afoul of the law.
“MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw,” the New York congresswoman wrote. “Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start.”
Homan shot back, telling Fox News Digital: “Let’s pray that she is not ‘educating’ the next murderer of a young college nursing student on how to evade arrest by ICE. How many more young women have to be raped, murdered and burned alive until she wakes up?”
The former acting director of ICE added that he is “well aware of the Constitution” but “also aware that DOJ gives legal interpretations on issues like this to ensure ICE acts in accordance of the law.
“It’s not OK to be in the US illegally. It’s a violation of federal law to enter this country illegally. It is not OK to assist those in the US illegally in furtherance of their illegal entry and unlawful presence,” Homan continued.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers wait to detain a person, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md.
“I thought I educated her on this several years ago during congressional testimony,” he said, referring to a viral clash he had with AOC at a congressional hearing during President Trump’s first term.
“She can call it ‘advising those who are illegally in the US of their constitutional rights.’ But we all know it’s really about evading ICE and how not to get arrested and how not to adhere to a federal judge’s order to leave after receiving due process at great taxpayer expense,” Homan argued.
In response to Homan’s claims, Ocasio-Cortez told Fox News Digital that she’s “glad Mr. Homan is checking with the Department of Justice to familiarize himself with the limits of his agency’s authority in entering the homes of everyday Americans without a warrant” and that she is “proud to offer civil education to everyday Americans to ensure ICE’s compliance with the law, given the numerous reports of agents providing incorrect paperwork in their attempts to enter and search private homes.
“Since Mr. Homan seems to be vaguely familiar with U.S. immigration law, we also remind him that according to Congressional statute, becoming undocumented in the United States is a civil offense and not a criminal one,” she added.
“I look forward to continuing our work in ensuring the safety of everyday New Yorkers while keeping families together.”
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