Tom Homan, who serves as Border Czar under the Trump administration, threatened Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) with prosecution, suggesting that her recent webinar on migrant rights could be seen as an “impediment” to law enforcement. Homan’s remarks came during an interview on CNN Sunday.
Ocasio-Cortez’s office hosted a live webinar on Wednesday, titled “Know Your Rights With ICE,” aimed at educating migrants about their rights if an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent shows up at their door. The session was designed to inform undocumented individuals on how to protect themselves from deportation.
During his CNN appearance, Homan explained that he was working with the Department of Justice to determine whether the webinar might violate the law. When asked by host Dana Bash if he was suggesting that Ocasio-Cortez should be prosecuted, Homan responded, “I’m asking the Department of Justice where the line is on impediment.” He went on to clarify that while a clear example of “impeding” would be physically blocking an ICE agent from making an arrest, he questioned whether educating people on how to avoid law enforcement could cross the line.
Homan also criticized the webinar, saying, “You can call it ‘Know Your Rights’ all you want, but the bottom line is, how do they evade law enforcement?” He continued to challenge Ocasio-Cortez’s view of the law, saying, “I forgot more about immigration law than AOC will ever know. As a matter of fact, I had to explain to her that entering the country illegally is actually a crime.”
Despite his criticism of the congresswoman, Homan insisted that his focus was ensuring ICE officers understood their legal boundaries. “It’s the responsible thing to do for the border czar of the United States to make sure the men and women of ICE understand what they can and can’t do,” he said.
Bash reminded Homan that, under current law, being undocumented is considered a civil offense unless criminal activity is involved.
You can watch the full CNN segment below.
