Ex-ICE Director Dresses Down AOC for Her ‘Extremely Stupid’ Plan to Obstruct Immigration Raids

January 30, 2020 Immigration

Former acting ICE Director Tom Homan slammed Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez this week, saying her recent criticism of immigration authorities was dangerously “stupid.”

In a pair of appearances on Fox News, Homan responded to Ocasio-Cortez’s call for supporters of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders to subvert and ultimately abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol.

“Organizing is about tipping people off if you start to see that ICE and CPB are in communities, to try to keep people safe,” she told the rally for Sanders, a Vermont Independent, in Iowa Saturday. “I’m here because Sen. Sanders has actually committed to breaking up ICE and CBP.”

On “Fox & Friends First” Monday morning Homan hit back at the New York Democrat, saying, “It’s ridiculous. It’s an extremely stupid statement made by someone I never considered real smart anyways.”

“Here’s an elected lawmaker, she’s a congresswoman, standing on the stage telling people how to obstruct ICE. Tipping off people that ICE is looking for them,” he said. “ICE’s job is already extremely dangerous. Now, she’s making it more dangerous.”

Homan went on to suggest that Ocasio-Cortez was hypocritical for supporting the impeachment of President Donald Trump while encouraging Americans to flout the law.

“She’s one of these Democrats who keeps saying, ‘Nobody’s above the law. The president isn’t above the law. We need to impeach the president because he’s not above the law,” he said. “But apparently illegal aliens are above the law because ICE isn’t allowed to arrest them, it’s ridiculous statement. It’s a dangerous statement.”

Homan slams AOC in another video

Hours earlier, during a Sunday appearance on “Fox & Friends Weekend,” Homan unleashed a similar rant, saying Ocasio-Cortez should show some gratitude to the agents who enforce immigration law.

“These men and women put their lives on the line every day to arrest criminals off the streets, especially in New York,” he said. “These ICE agents have done more to protect the residents of New York than she ever has done or ever will do. It’s a dangerous statement. It’s idiotic.”

Homan accused Ocasio-Cortez of encouraging people to break the law by saying they should give their neighbors a “heads up that the good guys are going to be arresting the bad guys.”

“That’s obstruction. That’s a crime, and she’s standing on stage doing that,” he continued, adding that Congress has been obstructing Trump from “day 1.” “That’s disgusting. Something needs to be done about it.”

Congressional showdowns

Homan has previously faced down Ocasio-Cortez in person.

During a House subcommittee hearing chaired by Ocasio-Cortez in September, he ripped the congresswoman for vilifying him and his former agency.

“I want to address the last comments made about me being appalling and – and first of all I served my country for 34 years, I saved many lives and I ran an agency –let’s be frank about what ICE does,” Homan said, before rattling off a long list of the agency’s accomplishments, which included taking opioids off the streets, arresting “thousands of sexual predators that prayed on children” and rescuing sex trafficking victims.

“So to miss the message of the work the men and women of ICE do – I find it appalling that a member of Congress would throw that out there like that,” he said.

“In my 34 years, I’ve never seen such hate toward a law enforcement agency in my life that you want to abolish them rather than do your job and legislate,” Homan added as Ocasio-Cortez interrupted to tell him his time had expired.

In July, Ocasio-Cortez sparred with Homan during another House hearing, accusing him of recommending “family separation” at the border.

Homan rejected Ocasio-Cortez’s framing, asserting that what he had recommended was, in fact, “zero tolerance.”

*story by Pluralist