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NEW: AOC Under Fire For ‘Disgusting’ Move In Congress

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15 hours ago

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Fallout from Tuesday’s passage of the Laken Riley Act in the U.S. House is reverberating even among members of the “Squad” and its figurative leader, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY), who is the target of sharp condemnations online for opposing what supporters say are commonsense measures to help ensure that criminal illegal immigrants are deported.

The Bronx Democrat was among 159 colleagues who voted against the act, named in honor of the University of Georgia student who was killed in 2023 after being strangled to death by an illegal immigrant who attempted to rape her during a morning run. If passed into law, the Laken Riley Act would allow for stepped-up deportation measures against illegal immigrants charged with lower-level or nonviolent crimes such as theft or sale of narcotics, additions which opponents say exacerbate underlying racial tensions between immigrant communities and law enforcement. “People deserve to have their day in court and are innocent until proven guilty. That seems to be something that the majority has forgotten or doesn’t seem to care about,” said fellow “Squad” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA). Despite the seemingly endless number of headlines about violent and deadly illegal immigrants in New York, AOC chose to flout the wishes of several constituents who ripped her for the vote.

On X, user Jade Blade referred to AOC as a “disgusting human” for opposing the bill while a local voter demanded she appear on one of her signature live feeds to explain herself. “Can you explain to your constituents why you voted against the Laken Riley act? Think we would all like to better understand your position as crime is clearly an issue in all boroughs including Queens. FWIW I am a registered democrat in NYC. Thanks!” one user replied to one of her pre-Christmas posts. The popular conservative account End Wokeness published a list of the 159 Democrats opposed to the bill, a who’s who of progressives that includes former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and fellow Squad members Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).

Under current law, two petty nonviolent offenses would be enough to see illegal immigrants apprehended and deported. The Laken Riley Act would expand offenses to include a single nonviolent offense such as burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting, though in practice holding illegal immigrants until the arrival of federal authorities has been a challenge in deep blue cities and states. Sanctuary policies in municipalities like Chicago, New York, and Boston prohibit local police from detaining suspects solely on immigration status, allowing them to post bail and disappear before federal authorities can arrive. Many also do not honor requests for detainers, which officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement typically submit after being alerted to the arrest of a suspected illegal immigrant.

A full list of how each member of the U.S. House of Representatives voted may be viewed at CNN.

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