AOC Doubles Down On Vow to ‘Educate’ Illegal Migrants On Evading ICE

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is stepping up her efforts to assist undocumented migrants in avoiding detention and deportation.

During an interview with NPR, the Democratic congresswoman from the Bronx spoke with host Steve Inskeep, explaining that she intends to keep offering information and support to migrants residing in the U.S. without legal status — even though border chief Tom Homan has warned she could face federal charges for doing so.

“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.

Ocasio-Cortez responded, “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.”

It’s worth noting that AOC, like all members of Congress, swore an oath to uphold U.S. laws.

Inskeep followed up, saying, “Homan was upset, I suppose, because he felt that you were giving advice to people who were here illegally. Were you?”

The congresswoman answered, “I was giving advice to all of my constituents, yeah,” before Inskeep mentioned that Homan had formally asked the Justice Department to review her actions.

“Have you heard from the Department of Justice?” Inskeep asked.

AOC replied, “I have not, and I intend on reaching out to the Department of Justice to inquire.” She added that, as a member of the Democratic ‘Squad,’ she feels it’s important to determine “where this administration stands and if they intend on using political intimidation to silence their critics.”

Earlier this week, Ocasio-Cortez sent a letter directly to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, asking for clarification on whether she is the focus of any federal probe after Homan publicly declared he had referred her to the Justice Department for potential charges.

In her letter, AOC wrote: “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 continued by highlighting a specific date, “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.” She also referenced the First Amendment to make her point.

AOC reminded Bondi that “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.”

Ocasio-Cortez closed her letter by emphasizing that “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.”