Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is doubling down on her efforts to help migrants in the country illegally to evade capture and deportation.
In an interview with NPR, the Bronx Democrat told host Steve Inskeep that she was going to continue providing guidance to illegal immigrants despite being threatened with potential federal charges by border czar Tom Homan.
“You had a recent dispute, if that’s the right word, with Tom Homan, the president’s homeland security czar, so-called. You held an online forum, a Know Your Rights forum, that he didn’t like. What were you doing? What was your goal as you saw it?” Inskeep asked.
“My job is to educate and act as a liaison of critical information to my constituents, and I was informing all of my constituents of their constitutional protections and, in particular, their — their constitutional protections against illegal search and seizure in the United States,” Ocasio-Cortez — who also took an oath to support the laws of the country — said.
“Homan was upset, I suppose, because he felt that you were giving advice to people who were here illegally,” Inskeep responded. “Were you?”
“I was giving advice to all of my constituents, yeah,” AOC said before Inskeep noted that Homan had requested a legal opinion from the Department of Justice regarding her actions.
“Have you heard from the Department of Justice?” he asked.
“I have not, and I intend on reaching out to the Department of Justice to inquire,” the Democratic ‘Squad’ member said. “I think it’s important to know where this administration stands and if they intend on using political intimidation to silence their critics.”
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Ocasio-Cortez did send a letter earlier this week to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi demanding to know whether she was the subject of such an investigation after Homan announced he had referred her to the Justice Department for potential criminal charges.
“I write to request clarity on whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yielded to political pressure and attempts to weaponize the agency against elected officials whose speech they disagree with. Over the past two weeks, ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan has gone on multiple forums threatening political prosecution against me, citing resources I distributed informing my constituents and the American public of their constitutional and legal rights,” she said to begin her letter.
“On February 13, 2025, Mr. Homan announced that he had asked the Deputy Attorney General to open an investigation, and that I will be ‘in trouble now.’ It has been 14 days since Mr. Homan first threatened to weaponize your agency, but I have not yet heard any referral from the federal government. Homan’s actions undercut core Constitutional rights and further transparency is necessary,” AOC added before quoting the First Amendment of the Constitution.
“Indeed, last week, Vice President Vance said that ‘we may disagree with your views, but we will fight to defend your right to offer it in the public square.’ Mr. Homan’s repeated attempts to use your agency to politically intimidate duly elected officials are a textbook threat to the right to free speech in the United States. Threatening criminal proceedings for exercising the First Amendment is itself a violation of the First Amendment,” she continued.
“Educating the public about their rights, especially in a time of rising uncertainty, is a key part of our responsibility as elected officials. A government that uses threats of DOJ investigations to suppress free speech is a threat to all, regardless of political ideology. Please respond no later than March 5, 2025, with an update on the Department of Justice’s response to Mr. Homan’s request and transparency as to whether my office or myself is actively under investigation for exercising their First Amendment rights and executing on our congressional responsibilities,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.