Tom Homan, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), raised concerns on Friday that Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be hindering federal immigration authorities from arresting and deporting criminal illegal immigrants.
Homan criticized a recent webinar organized by Ocasio-Cortez’s office, which discussed the tactics ICE officers are using in New York to arrest illegal immigrants. The session seemed to aim at helping migrants avoid deportation.
“I sent an email today to the deputy attorney general. At what level is that impediment? Is that impediment?” Homan asked during 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?” he continued, expressing his concerns to the Justice Department.
“Maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now,” Homan said, asserting that “Impediment is impediment, in my opinion.”
“I’m not a prosecutor, but we need some further guidance on that,” he added.
Ocasio-Cortez did not participate in the Facebook webinar. During the session, an immigration rights advocate detailed how ICE’s recent raids in New York have taken place “early in the morning” and in “public places,” often involving unmarked ICE vehicles stopping drivers on their way to and from work.
Genia Blaser, a lawyer from the Immigrant Defense Project, also highlighted that ICE has conducted arrests during required check-ins with federal immigration authorities and, outside of New York City, at probation or parole appointments or when migrants are being transferred from police custody.
Later, a speaker from the Immigrant Defense Project, identified only as Laura, mentioned that her group has “very, very rarely” encountered cases in New York where ICE agents have obtained judicial warrants. She suggested that migrants should refuse to cooperate with federal authorities unless they can show a warrant.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to Homan’s remarks on X, mocking him for implying she might be breaking the law.
“MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw,” the congresswoman wrote. “Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start.”
Homan fired back in an interview with Fox News Digital, expressing his concerns about the consequences of her actions. “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 [assaulted], murdered and burned alive until she wakes up?”
The former ICE director made it clear that he is “well aware of the Constitution,” but emphasized that the Department of Justice provides legal guidance to ensure ICE operates in line with 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 stated.
“I thought I educated her on this several years ago during congressional testimony,” he continued, referring to their earlier clash 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 added.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to Homan’s claims in a statement to Fox News Digital, saying she was “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.” She also expressed pride in offering civil education to ensure ICE’s compliance with the law, especially given reports of ICE agents providing incorrect paperwork when attempting 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,” Ocasio-Cortez continued.
“I look forward to continuing our work in ensuring the safety of everyday New Yorkers while keeping families together,” she concluded.
{Matzav.com}