Border czar Tom Homan suggested an investigation into Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) could be forthcoming after critics said her latest effort to oppose deportation for illegal immigrants may have broken federal law.
Ocasio-Cortez’s office hosted a live webinar on her Facebook page on Wednesday outlining resistance tactics illegal immigrants could add to their arsenal if targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for removal from the country.
During a Fox News interview the following day, Homan said he was in contact with the Department of Justice to determine whether Ocasio-Cortez’s move constituted an illegal impediment to the Trump administration’s deportation effort. Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove will investigate whether the New York lawmaker’s efforts “crossed the line,” Homan continued.
“So, maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now, but I need the AOG to opine on that. Impediment is impediment, in my opinion,” Homan said. “I’m not a prosecutor, but we need some further guidance on that. But again, if we have to take every federal dollar out of the city, we’ll do it. I mean, we’re done.”
In response to Homan’s warning, Ocasio-Cortez shot back a mocking response on social media.
“MaYbe shE’s goiNg to be in TroUble nOw,” she trolled. “Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start.”
During Ocasio-Cortez’s office’s Facebook webinar, which she did not attend, livestream hosts said the Fourth Amendment applies to everyone, including illegal immigrants. The constitutional protection affords a defense from “unreasonable” searches and seizures by the government.
“So, there’s a general rule here, which is in private spaces, ICE is going to need a warrant signed by a judge or your consent to enter that space or to do a search. When we’re talking about public spaces, ICE will need reasonable suspicion in order to make an arrest,” said one speaker, who identified herself as Laura.
Genia Blaser, a lawyer with the Immigrant Defense Project, told viewers that “ICE raids are political tactics, and they’re often intended to create fear.”
“We see how ICE often uses rhetoric to criminalize immigrants, to normalize their tactics and justify what they’re doing,” she added.
Following the webinar, Ocasio-Cortez posted a series of “Know Your Rights” pamphlets on her social media accounts educating illegal immigrants on how to respond to ICE agents. The documents, written in English and Spanish, advised people not to open doors to agents unless they have a warrant, warned them not to share any personal information with authorities, and told them to hire a lawyer in anticipation of ICE operations.
“If you’re pissed that I’m educating the people of this country of their Constitutional rights, that’s on you,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “And yes, immigrants have rights too. This is the LAND of the free.”
The congresswoman hails from New York’s 14th District and represents about 700,000 people across parts of the Bronx and Queens.
Her vow to fight against the Trump administration’s deportation effort comes as the White House has given Homan direction to first target people in the country illegally who have committed crimes for removal.
ICE has already carried out several operations in Ocasio-Cortez’s city, arresting over 100 people, according to a New York Post analysis. The estimate includes a Jan. 28 initiative that targeted 39 people for removal from the U.S., according to a New York Times report. Anderson Zambrano-Pacheco, a suspected ringleader of the Tren de Aragua Venezuelan gang, and an alleged MS-13 gang member were among the detainees.
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“I think it’s OK if they need to arrest somebody because they committed a crime, but I worry that with ICE, they may also arrest others that haven’t done anything bad,” one New York City resident told NBC News.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, has broken with his party and Ocasio-Cortez’s defiant stance toward Homan, taking a number of steps in recent weeks to cooperate with the Trump administration‘s deportation effort.