Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) issued a stern warning to Trump administration officials Sunday, saying they would face a “problem” if they continued targeting Democratic lawmakers over protests related to immigration enforcement.
In an Instagram video, Ocasio-Cortez singled out Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and border czar Tom Homan, accusing them of attempting to intimidate members of Congress.
“If anyone’s breaking the law in this situation, it’s not members of Congress, it’s the Department of Homeland Security,” she said. “It’s people like Tom Homan and Secretary Kristi Noem.”
“You lay a finger on someone, on Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman … or any of the representatives that were there, you lay a finger on them, we are going to have a problem,” she added. “Because the people who are breaking the law are the people not abiding by it.”
Her comments follow threats from DHS that Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver — all Democrats from New Jersey — could face arrest after a confrontation at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention center in Newark, last week.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, also a Democrat, was arrested during the incident for refusing to vacate the premises.
DHS officials allege the lawmakers engaged in aggressive behavior while attempting to enter the facility without proper clearance. Coleman denies pushing anyone.
Delaney Hall has become a flashpoint in the broader immigration debate. Trump officials argue the facility is crucial for detaining violent criminal aliens, while local leaders — including Baraka — argue it lacks proper permits and transparency in its operations.
Ocasio-Cortez’s remarks are the latest in a growing standoff between progressive lawmakers and the Trump administration over the scope of federal immigration enforcement and treatment of migrant detainees.