Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) finds herself at the center of potential legal scrutiny from the Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning a webinar on immigration she hosted earlier this year. The webinar, designed as a "Know Your Rights" event, has drawn criticism for allegedly providing illegal immigrants with information on how to evade Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities. The controversy escalated when Tom Homan, the Trump-appointed former border czar, publicly called for an official investigation into the congresswoman's actions.
The issue originated from the February webinar, where legal professionals offered advice to illegal immigrants on handling encounters with ICE agents. Materials distributed during the event communicated to immigrants that they weren't required to open their doors to ICE agents unless they presented a judge-signed warrant. This advice, along with other assistance provided by Ocasio-Cortez's office—including information on obtaining pro bono legal services and submitting privacy release forms to intervene in deportation proceedings—has been interpreted by some as a deliberate effort to frustrate federal immigration enforcement.
In a recent statement to Fox News, Ocasio-Cortez acknowledged her attempt to determine whether she's under federal investigation, revealing that the DOJ has not responded to her inquiries. She defended the webinar, asserting her First Amendment right to inform people of their constitutional rights and suggesting that any probe into her actions would represent an unjustified infringement on her speech as a lawmaker.
Ocasio-Cortez also expressed concern regarding the potential ramifications of legal action against an elected official, particularly without substantial grounds. She warned of a "tremendous sea change and escalation" in the administration's approach to dealing with political opposition and suggested that such actions could undermine America's reputation as a democracy on the global stage.
Despite her defense, Homan has maintained his stance, confirming on "The Ingraham Angle" that he contacted Acting Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove to assess if Ocasio-Cortez's advocacy crossed any legal boundaries. "I'm not an attorney, I'm not a prosecutor. Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts?" Homan questioned, calling for the DOJ's legal opinion on the matter.
Ocasio-Cortez has strongly rejected any claims of wrongdoing, describing the potential investigation as politically motivated in a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi. She accused Homan of attempting to "intimidate" her through DOJ channels, labeling his campaign an attack on her First Amendment rights and alleging a personal vendetta on his part.
The congresswoman's office has not received any official notification of an investigation. However, her public response to the accusations has been fiery. A tweet from Breaking911 shows Ocasio-Cortez's pointed rebuttal: "If anyone is breaking the law in this situation, it's not members of Congress, it's the department of homeland security! It's people like Tom Homan & Secretary Kristi Noem. We're going to have a problem!"
The situation raises critical questions about the balance between law enforcement and constitutional rights, the role of elected officials in informing the public, and the boundaries of political speech. As the DOJ has yet to make a public statement, the degree of legal jeopardy, if any, that Ocasio-Cortez may face remains uncertain.
