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Tag: AOC

Border czar Homan, AOC clash over webinar on ICE

FIRST ON FOX: President Donald Trump’s border czar Tom Homan on Friday clashed with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., over a webinar she hosted advising migrants about how to handle an encounter with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“Let’s pray that she is not ‘educating’ the next murderer of a young college nursing student on how to evade arrest by ICE,” Homan told Fox News Digital on Friday. “How many more young women have to be raped, murdered and burned alive until she wakes up?”

Homan had first said on “The Ingraham Angle” that he had emailed the deputy attorney general asking whether Ocasio-Cortez’s hosting of a “Know Your Rights with ICE” event on her Facebook page could count as an impediment to federal law enforcement.

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTS SKYROCKET UNDER TRUMP ICE COMPARED TO BIDEN LEVELS LAST YEAR

Border czar Tom Homan and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. (Getty)

“Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts?” Homan said. “If so, what are we going to do about it? Is she crossing the line? So I’m working with the Department of Justice and finding out. Where is that line that they cross? So maybe AOC is going to be going to be in trouble now.”

During the event, viewers were informed of how to deal with ICE search requests. Migrants were also warned of “ruses” they allege ICE agents employ to get people to comply with searches, while the hosts also touted “trends” in how ICE conducts its searches, which have ramped up in recent weeks under the Trump administration. People were also recommended to record such searches and how to differentiate between different warrants ICE agents are likely to carry.

Ocasio-Cortez did not take part in the webinar but did upload tips to Instagram — via posters in both English and Spanish — and called on her followers to share the posters widely and study them. She also called on her followers to print out the posters and “tape them up in your workplace or keep them by your door.”

“So if ICE comes to your workplace or home, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen – YOU can defend your community and our constitution by exercising your right,” she wrote.

On Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez took to X to mock Homan for suggesting she could be in trouble.

“MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw,” she posted.

“Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start,” she said.

AOC’S OFFICE ADVISES MIGRANTS ON HOW TO AVOID DEPORTATIONS IN LIVE WEBINAR

A screenshot from the webinar. (Facebook)

In comments to Fox News Digital, Homan said that he was asking the Justice Department for their interpretation of the law regarding impeding and obstruction, and that he is “well aware of the Constitution, but I am also aware that DOJ gives legal interpretations on issues like this to ensure ICE acts in accordance of the law.”

He then suggested Ocasio-Cortez read Title 8 USC 1324 and 8 USC 1325, “statutes enacted by Congress, of which she is a part of.”

“It’s not OK to be in the U.S. illegally. It’s a violation of federal law to enter this country illegally. It is not OK to assist those in the U.S. illegally in furtherance of their illegal entry and unlawful presence. I thought I educated her on this several years ago during congressional testimony.,” he said, referencing a viral clash from the first Trump administration at a congressional hearing.

“She can call it ‘advising those who are illegally in the U.S. 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,” he said.

“So if ICE comes to your workplace or home, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen – YOU can defend your community and our constitution by exercising your right,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. (Getty Images)

CLICK HERE FOR MORE IMMIGRATION COVERAGE

“She obviously believes that we should not enforce laws enacted by Congress. By working against ICE, she is putting those that committed a crime entering this country illegally and those that committed asylum fraud and those who ignored a federal court order of deportation over those that enforce our laws and risk their lives every day trying to keep our communities safe.”

Ocasio-Cortez responded, telling Fox News Digital: “I am 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 I am 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. I look forward to continuing our work in ensuring the safety of everyday New Yorkers while keeping families together,” she said.

The clash comes as many left-wing Democrats continue to raise objections to the mass deportation operation launched by the Trump administration. However, some Democrats have also expressed support, with New York City Mayor Eric Adams meeting with Homan on Thursday and agreeing to let ICE agents on to Rikers Island. While New York City is a “sanctuary” city, Adams has expressed openness to deporting criminal illegal immigrants.

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Fox News Digital reported earlier on Friday that ICE interior arrests have skyrocketed under the Trump administration compared to the same period during the Biden administration last year, with a 137% increase over last year. Arrests of aliens with criminal histories have soared by nearly 100% from 4,526 in the same period in 2024 to 8,993 under Trump this year.

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.

Adam Shaw is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital, primarily covering immigration and border security.

He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter.

February 14, 2025
FLASHBACK: Former AOC aide challenging Pelosi wore shirt depicting Nazi collaborator

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A former aide to Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., was once pictured wearing a shirt that depicted a Nazi collaborator in an image that resurfaced after the “Squad” staffer announced a congressional campaign against former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.

Saikat Chakrabarti managed Ocasio-Cortez’s congressional campaign in 2018, serving as chief of staff to the progressive member before leaving just one year later after publicly criticizing some Democratic lawmakers.

After Ocasio-Cortez won her first election, Chakrabarti sported a shirt with the face of Nazi sympathizer Subhas Chandra Bose, an Indian nationalist who collaborated with the Nazis during World War II, during an interview to talk about the new congresswoman’s emerging political career.

The video, titled “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Chief of Staff on Acting Fast in Congress,” was shared by NowThis Impact, a progressive organization.

FORMER AOC CHIEF OF STAFF ANNOUNCES RUN AGAINST PELOSI, CALLS DEMS ‘PARALYZED AND UNPREPARED’ UNDER TRUMP

Saikat Chakrabarti, left, and Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., center, leave a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C., on July 15, 2019. (Getty Images)

In a separate photo, Chakrabarti was seen wearing the same shirt with the face of the Nazi collaborator.

Bose was known for his support of socialist policies in the late 1930s and early 1940s. During the Second World War, Bose struck an alliance with the “Axis Powers” of Germany, Italy and Japan, and personally met with Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Hideki Tojo.

Chakrabarti on Wednesday announced that he plans to run for the House seat currently held by Pelosi, who will be 86 years old when she is up for re-election in the 2026 midterms.

Saikat Chakrabarti, then-chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., attends a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center on Monday, July 15, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)

“It’s become clear to me that the Democratic Party needs new leadership,” Chakrabarti said in a post on X. “I don’t understand how DC’s Democratic leaders are so paralyzed and unprepared for this moment after living through President Trump’s first term — and after Trump and Elon warned us exactly what they planned to do.”

‘RED LIGHT’ DISTRICT REP. AOC CALLED OUT FOR IGNORING CRIME CLEANUP ON HER TURF

Pelosi filed paperwork to run for a 21st term next cycle, signaling that she intends to seek re-election.

Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., a former House speaker, has indicated she will seek re-election in 2026. (Getty Images)

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While working for Ocasio-Cortez, Chakrabarti tweeted that Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kan., one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress, enabled a racist system after she voted in favor of a Senate border bill not backed by progressives.

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.

February 7, 2025
Former AOC chief of staff announces run to unseat Pelosi

The former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., announced Wednesday his intention to run against Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., calling the Democratic Party “paralyzed and unprepared” for President Donald Trump’s second term in office.

In a lengthy message on X, Saikat Chakrabarti said he decided to run against the former House speaker, who is seeking a 21st term, after “watching Trump and Elon (Musk) freely unleash chaos in their illegal seizure of government.”

“It’s become clear to me that the Democratic Party needs new leadership,” he wrote. “I don’t understand how DC’s Democratic leaders are so paralyzed and unprepared for this moment after living through President Trump’s first term — and after Trump and Elon warned us exactly what they planned to do.”

PELOSI DEMURS ON IF ‘EVERYTHING IS OK’ BETWEEN HER AND BIDEN: ‘YOU’D HAVE TO ASK HIM’

Saikat Chakrabarti, chief of staff for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., works on a computer in his office in the Cannon House Office Building June 26, 2019, in Washington, D.C. (Mary F. Calvert For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

While Chakrabarti said he respects the Democratic leader, the country has dramatically changed since her early days in Washington. He noted that Pelosi intervened to block Ocasio-Cortez from becoming chair of the powerful House Committee on Oversight and Reform.

“When Nancy Pelosi was first elected to Congress, you could buy a home on a single income. A summer job could pay for college,” he wrote. “Republicans believed in climate change and respected election results. Now, the things that defined the American Dream — being able to afford health care, education, a home, and raise a family — are impossible for most people.”

He added that the Republican Party is “overtly conspiratorial and anti-democracy.”

AOC’S ‘RED LIGHT DISTRICT’ PLAGUED BY CRIME AS DEMOCRAT WHO HELPED HER RISE TO POWER SAYS SHE ‘DISAPPEARED’

AOC texted that she felt “completely transformed” after Pelosi stepped down as House Speaker, according to an insider. (Getty Images)

“The Democratic Party needs to stop acting like it’s competing against a normal political party that plays by the rules, and it needs a bold vision for how to raise living standards, quality of life and security for all Americans,” he said. “America is stuck, and Americans want real solutions that are as big as the problems we face.”

In his campaign, Chakrabarti said he plans to talk about problems that need solving for San Francisco, the U.S. and the Democratic Party.

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Chakrabarti, who helped manage Ocasio-Cortez’s upstart 2018 campaign, left his chief of staff position in 2019 after drawing the ire of Democrats when he publicly criticized party moderates during policy spats between progressive members and party leadership.

That year, he tweeted that Rep. Sharice Davids, D-Kansas, one of the first two Native American women to serve in Congress, enabled a racist system after she voted in favor of a Senate border bill not backed by progressives. A month later, Chakrabarti described centrist Democrats who blocked a liberal-backed emergency border bill as the “new Southern Democrats.”

Saikat Chakrabarti and U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., leave a news conference in the Capitol Visitor Center July 15, 2019. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

They “certainly seem hell bent to do to black and brown people today what the old Southern Democrats did in the 40s,” he wrote in a now-deleted post.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Pelosi.

February 6, 2025
AOC roasted over post about Colombia tariffs and coffee prices

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., weighed in on President Donald Trump’s ongoing tariff feud with Colombian President Gustavo Petro – but not every social media user bought her comments.

The spat between Trump and Petro began when the Colombian leader refused to accept two deportation flights over the weekend, prompting Trump to unleash retaliatory measures. Both world leaders threatening to raise tariffs on imported products by 25% to 50%, and Trump ordered a travel ban and visa revocations for all Colombian government officials.

“I was just informed that two repatriation flights from the United States, with a large number of Illegal Criminals, were not allowed to land in Colombia,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This order was given by Colombia’s Socialist President Gustavo Petro, who is already very unpopular amongst his people.”

“Petro’s denial of these flights has jeopardized the National Security and Public Safety of the United States, so I have directed my Administration to immediately take the following urgent and decisive retaliatory measures.”

COLOMBIAN LEADER QUICKLY CAVES AFTER TRUMP THREATS, OFFERS PRESIDENTIAL PLANE FOR DEPORTATION FLIGHTS

AOC gave her take on the Trump-Petro feud in an X post on Sunday. (Reuters)

In an X post on Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez insisted that American consumers are the only party that pay tariffs.

“To ‘punish’ Colombia, Trump is about to make every American pay even more for coffee,” the New York congresswoman said in a post. “Remember: WE pay the tariffs, not Colombia.”

“Trump is all about making inflation WORSE for working class Americans, not better,” she added. “He’s lining the pockets of himself and the billionaire class.”

Petro appeared to be a fan of AOC’s post, reposting it on his own X account.

While tariffs do have the potential to inflate prices, the importer, which is the company or entity bringing the goods into the U.S., will pay the actual tariff to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

But inflated prices are not guaranteed – sometimes, tariffs can reduce the world price of an object as suppliers rush to retain access to the large U.S. market. It is possible that coffee suppliers in different countries, such as Vietnam and Brazil – which produce more coffee than Colombia – would lower or maintain their prices.

BILLIONAIRES COZY UP TO TRUMP WITH SEVEN FIGURE INAUGURAL DONATIONS AFTER PAST FEUDS WITH PRESIDENT

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slammed Trump for threatening Colombia’s president with tariffs. ( Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet racked up over 47,000 likes from supporters as of 8 p.m., but received scorn from Trump supporters and tariff advocates.

“World record. 35 minutes and the tweet already aged like hot milk,” the social media account Catturd wrote, referencing Petro’s immediate offer to transport Colombian migrants on his presidential plane.

“Who wants to tell her that there are other countries that export coffee, not just Columbia,” California State Assembly Bill Essayli wrote.

Conservative commentator John Cardillo echoed Essayli’s sentiment, suggesting that the South American country “should take their illegal aliens back.”

“Plenty of other nations grow coffee beans,” Cardillo wrote on X. “We can buy the coffee from them.”

Activist Adam Lowisz responded to Ocasio-Cortez by insisting that the Democratic politician “doesn’t understand how tariffs work.”

“Coffee from Colombia will increase in price, so we will purchase coffee from suppliers in other countries who do take back their illegals,” the conservative X user wrote. “Businesses will hesitate to invest in Colombia any further if they continue to be bad actors.”

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Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro offered up his own presidential plane for deportation flights after Trump threatened the country with tariffs and more. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara, File)

Fox News Digital reached out to Ocasio-Cortez’s office for additional comment.

Fox News Digital’s Kyle Schmidbauer contributed to this report.

Andrea Margolis is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. Readers can send story tips to [email protected].

January 27, 2025
AOC, Jeffries remain silent on Democrat backlash after saying anti-trans athlete bill empowers child predators

After alienating Democratic voters with unsubstantiated claims that the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act would empower child predators to give genital examinations to young girls, the two most prominent figures on the left in the House of Representatives are not addressing the issue.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. were among 206 Democrats who voted against a bill that would prevent transgender athletes from competing against girls and women last week.

Jeffries and Ocasio-Cortez pushed the unsubstantiated claims it would subject girls to genital examinations by child predators. No language exists in the bill suggesting genital examinations would occur, and Republicans argued proof of birth sex could be determined by a birth certificate.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Jeffries and Ocasio-Cortez have not responded to multiple requests for comment from Fox News Digital regarding their arguments, subsequent backlash from Democratic voters who have said they are leaving the party in response to the arguments and data that suggests that a majority of Democrats oppose transgender inclusion in women’s sports.

However, Ocasio-Cortez addressed the idea of culture wars about transgender people being a distraction during an interview on “The Daily Show” Thursday.

“When we allow ourselves to constantly be distracted by these culture wars around trans people, it’s a new thing every day, and the answer isn’t that we just let those people be attacked, it’s that we say, ‘What are you doing, man?’ I think we need to make standing up for those folks just such an afterthought that it’s not even a debate,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

“Like, we need to understand and see the bait for what it is, but we don’t take the bait by letting those rights just erode and go by the wayside.”

HOW TRANSGENDERISM IN SPORTS SHIFTED THE 2024 ELECTION AND IGNITED A NATIONAL COUNTERCULTURE

Ocasio-Cortez’s suggestion that the party should make protecting transgender people an afterthought comes after she delivered a tirade in defense of transgender people and in opposition to the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act on the floor of the House of Representatives last week.

Her rant prompted widespread mockery, and Democrats have since spoken up about their distaste for her and the party’s handling of the issue.

Prominent Rutgers law professor Gary Francione, a lifelong Democrat and advocate for LGBTQ rights, told Fox News Digital he left the Democratic Party in response to its opposition to the bill.

“That just made me very upset because it screamed out lack of integrity, lack of honesty,” Francione told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview. “This is the way you fight battles? By trying to insult other people who oppose you and disagree with you and insinuate that they’re child molesters or pedophiles? It seems to me you’ve lost the game. … I don’t know how they’re ever going to come back from this.”

Francione said many of the other Democrats in his network of law and education share his disdain for the party’s response to the bill and will also be leaving the party.

“I can say confidently of the people I know who are Democrats who I’ve spoken to, the vast majority of them are very unhappy about all of this stuff and feel that the party has lost its way,” Francione said. “I know a couple who said they are going to [unregister].”

Voter registration data suggests the party is losing members in Francione’s home state of Pennsylvania. However, no specific information for why is available. Prominent political organizer Scott Pressler announced on X the voter registration data shows that the number of Democratic voters declined by 24,867 from Jan. 14 to Jan. 21, the week that followed the House of Representatives hearing.

Just two Democrats joined the Republican majority in voting in favor of the bill, representatives Henry Cuellar and Vicente Gonzalez, both of Texas. Their decision to defect from the rest of the party and vote for the protection of women and girls in sports reflects a growing position of many voters in their party and independents, according to recent data.

A recent New York Times/Ipsos survey found the vast majority of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, don’t think transgender athletes should be permitted to compete in women’s sports. Of the 2,128 people polled, 79% said biological males who identify as women should not be allowed to participate in women’s sports. Of the 1,025 people who identified as Democrats or leaning Democrat, 67% said transgender athletes should not be allowed to compete with women.

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The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act is headed to the Senate after passing in the House, and it will need more votes by Democrats to get past a filibuster and move to President Donald Trump’s desk.

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn, told Fox News Digital in an exclusive interview she expects and hopes the bill will get the Democratic votes it needs to pass the Senate.

“I would expect there would be. I would hope there would be,” she said.

“Many of my friends who are Democrats will tell you that they think Title IX is a thing, and to have biological males competing against women is inappropriate. And they want opportunities for their daughters or nieces or granddaughters. And it’s frustrating to them when they hear about or witness a transgender male playing in a women’s or girls league.”

Blackburn added she has “no idea” what the Democrats who suggested the law would subject girls to genital examinations were thinking when they made that argument.

“I find it very difficult to believe that protecting girls in sports would have such an adverse effect,” Blackburn said. “Looking at the content of the bill is the best way to argue against it and know that a vast majority of Americans support protecting girls in girls’ sports.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Jackson Thompson is a sports writer for Fox News Digital. He previously worked for ESPN and Business Insider. Jackson has covered the Super Bowl and NBA Finals, and has interviewed iconic figures Usain Bolt, Rob Gronkowski, Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, Mike Trout, David Ortiz and Roger Clemens.

January 24, 2025