After President Donald Trump threatened to deport “millions” of illegal immigrants, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) encouraged American citizens to help illegal immigrants defy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
In a tweet, the freshman lawmaker gave illegal immigrants tips on how to evade immigration officers and urged Americans to provide shelter to illegal immigrants in their homes. It’s unusual, to say the least, that an elected official is encouraging citizens to violate the law to serve a political agenda.
Twitter users criticized Ocasio-Cortez for encouraging Americans to break the law, and at least one website argues that she should be charged for sedition.
Defy ICE
Even by the very high standards for hyperbole set by Ocasio-Cortez, the past week has been “extra” for the freshman lawmaker. The open borders Democrat was widely criticized after she accused the Trump administration of running “concentration camps” at the southern border last week.
Ocasio-Cortez’s use of the phrase “Never Again” was criticized for invoking the Holocaust to suit her political agenda. Of course, there is no comparison to be made between the 6 million Jews who died in the Shoah and illegal immigrants who voluntarily cross the border. Very few migrants are injured in detention — more die while crossing from drowning and heat stroke than have died in detention — and many make it across without being apprehended and go on to live in American communities in brazen defiance of the law.
Much like Good Samaritans hid Jews in their homes from the Nazis, Ocasio-Cortez seems to think that Americans have a duty to keep illegal immigrants safe from the Trump Gestapo. In a series of tweets Saturday, Ocasio-Cortez doubled down on her extreme rhetoric and went further than empty bluster, as she gave advice to illegal immigrants on how to avoid detection and arrest by ICE agents.
The tweet came hours before Trump announced that the raids had been delayed by two weeks. The deportations were supposed to begin in 10 cities across the country. President Trump announced the mass deportations last week before abruptly shifting course Saturday “at the request of Democrats” to give Congress two weeks to come up with a solution to America’s broken asylum system.
“Warning: The Trump admin is expected to begin ICE raids across the country TOMORROW, targeting people for round up.” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “NOW is the time for us to come together: – Check in w/ your neighbors – Share ‘Know Your Rights’ info – If you see ICE, report to @UNITEDWEDREAM 1-844-363-1423,” the post continued.
Warning: The Trump admin is expected to begin ICE raids across the country TOMORROW, targeting people for round up.
NOW is the time for us to come together:
– Check in w/ your neighbors
– Share “Know Your Rights” info
– If you see ICE, report to @UNITEDWEDREAM 1-844-363-1423 https://t.co/UgWK0Km3sl— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 22, 2019
In a second tweet, Ocasio-Cortez asked Americans to hide illegal immigrants in their homes: “If your home can be a safe space or haven for others, let your neighbors and community know – even if it’s just to relax in the stress of this time.”
Can she be arrested?
Numerous Twitter users criticized Ocasio-Cortez over the tweets. The top-rated reply was, “You are encouraging law breaking.”
AOC’s call should be seen as an act of sedition, argues J.D. Heyes for the National Sentinel. Article 1, Section 6, Clause 1 states in part that lawmakers “shall in all Cases, except Treason, Felony and Breach of the Peace, be privileged from Arrest during their Attendance at the Session of their respective Houses.” The Supreme Court has interpreted this exception to mean any criminal prosecution, according to the Heritage Foundation. In other words, lawmakers can be prosecuted for crimes like any other American citizen.
AOC wasn’t just encouraging law-breaking, but possibly compromising the safety of ICE agents. Ocasio-Cortez’s tweets followed a leak of the planned deportations from within the Trump administration. Acting ICE director Mark Homan slammed the “egregious” leak, saying it put ICE agents’ lives at risk.
By encouraging Americans to alert left-wing groups of ICE’s whereabouts, AOC was advising Americans to flout the rule of law and compromise the mission and safety of ICE agents who are, contrary to AOC’s claim, doing nothing wrong.
It’s not the fault of immigration agents that migrants choose to cross the border illegally, neither is it their fault that the government is running out of resources to house the influx of migrants. Immigration agents are doing what they can to stabilize a spiraling humanitarian crisis — a crisis that AOC’s party has resolutely refused to work with Trump to fix. Meanwhile, border agents are continuing to rescue scores of illegal immigrants from drowning in the Rio Grande.
AOC has no moral authority to encourage Americans to break the law. Immigration enforcement is not a crime against humanity, and radicals like AOC are in the wrong by urging Americans to side with illegal invaders.
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