Lawmakers under fire for sharing ICE raid info, warning locals of immigration enforcement operations
As President Donald Trump and his Department of Homeland Security have ramped up enforcement of U.S. immigration law after the Biden-era deluge at the border, some Democrats have come under fire for their responses to the situation.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has held “Know Your Rights” webinars and disseminated guides to constituents concerned about ICE conducting operations in her Queens and Bronx district.
“ICE raids are political tactics, and they’re often intended to create fear,” one proctor in an Ocasio-Cortez webinar advised. “Do not open your door,” an Ocasio-Cortez-branded document read elsewhere – advising residents to demand to see ICE’s judicially signed warrants.
Such efforts by the “Squad” member drew the attention of Border Czar Thomas Homan, who told Fox News he had sent a letter to the Department of Justice questioning whether she may have broken the law.
AOC SAYS DOJ ‘WON’T RESPOND’ TO HER INQUIRY ON POTENTIAL PROBE
“At what level is that impediment [of federal law enforcement operations]?” Homan asked “Ingraham Angle” host Laura Ingraham.
“If so, what are we going to do about it? . . . Maybe AOC is going to be in trouble now.”
At the state government level, Arizona state Sen. Analise Ortiz came under fire for her response to ICE operations.
Ortiz, D-Phoenix, was accused of “doxxing” ICE by LibsOfTikTok commentator Chaya Raichik, after she reportedly posted live locations of federal agents on her Instagram page.
Ortiz defended her work, comparing it to how the automotive app WAZE alerts drivers to police activity, speed traps or car crashes.
She then took a jab at three Republican lawmakers she claimed had faced similar trouble in the past, quipping that they might’ve been “better off” using WAZE.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS WARN ANTI-ICE RHETORIC FROM DEMOCRATS IS DRIVING VIOLENT ATTACKS ON AGENTS
The situation drew calls for a formal federal investigation this week from Arizona State Senate President Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert.
“Public servants have a duty to uphold the law and respect those who enforce it, not undermine them,” Gilbert said.
Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin countered in comments to Fox News Digital:
“Arizona state Senator Analise Ortiz is siding with vicious cartels, human traffickers, and violent criminals over American citizens,” she said.
In Georgia, a self-described socialist millennial lawmaker was lambasted earlier this year for reportedly posting a step-by-step video to Facebook advising how to avoid ICE raids.
“We have seen examples of it happening in our district and around our metro area,” said state Rep. Gabriel Sanchez, D-Vinings.
Sanchez told viewers of the video, also published by the Cobb County Voice, “Do not answer any question,” and “Do not sign any documents.”
“We are doing everything in our power we can to protect our community, including looking at legislation that could help with this issue.”
Sanchez was previously one of the organizers of “Stop Cop City,” a socialist activist group that made headlines for violently attempting to prevent Atlanta law enforcement from constructing a new training center.
During the first Trump administration, Massachusetts state Rep. Michelle DuBois, D-Brockton, warned undocumented constituents of planned ICE operations in Plymouth County.
DuBois advised people to call a 774 number that linked to a legal services group in the even they needed “immigration help.”
She then said she wanted to “relay” a message from a member of the “Latin community.”
“Please be careful on Wednesday … ICE will be in Brockton that day.
If you are undocumented, don’t go out on the street. If there is a knock on the door of your house, and you don’t know who it is, don’t open the door, I ask you to be careful,” she said.
When confronted at an event by a reporter from CBS’ Boston affiliate, DuBois said, “ICE is welcome to call my office” and claimed the reporter was spreading “hearsay.”
“Passing information along that is already all over the community not only lets the people I represent know what is happening, it lets ICE know that everyone in Brockton is aware of their intended raid if there was one,” DuBois said in a statement.
Neighboring Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson went to Congress to warn that the situation was “most outrageous.”
“It’s undermining my job and every other officer in the United States,” he told then-Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas.
About The Author
