DHS Issues Arrest Announcement to AOC
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a vocal progressive and prominent member of the far-left “Squad,” may be flirting with legal consequences following her inflammatory comments about U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. A senior official at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) made clear that if the congresswoman acts on her threats, arrest is a real possibility.
Speaking Monday night on Fox News, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS’s immigration division, didn’t mince words. “If she trespasses and if she assaults law enforcement officers, as we saw earlier, I think that’s certainly on the table,” she stated during an interview on The Bottom Line. “As far as we’ve heard, a lot of Democrats make the argument that they’re just conducting oversight, congressional oversight.”
The warning came after Ocasio-Cortez responded to the recent arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D), who was detained after a volatile confrontation with ICE agents when he tried to gain unauthorized entry into a detention facility. On Sunday, Ocasio-Cortez posted a video selfie on Instagram in which she lashed out at DHS and ICE officers over the incident.
Alina Habba, U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, confirmed that Baraka had “committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center.”
Federal officials said the mayor’s conduct escalated the situation dangerously, describing the incident as “disorderly.” According to DHS sources, Baraka appeared to support a group of agitators who attempted to breach the facility gates, resulting in multiple physical altercations with law enforcement.
Joining Baraka at the site were several House Democrats from New Jersey, including Representatives Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver—all of whom took part in the confrontation under the guise of congressional oversight.
McLaughlin pushed back on the Democrats’ claim of lawful oversight, pointing to established procedures that were ignored. “We know that’s baloney because had they asked us, had they requested a tour, David, we would have happily facilitated that for them as well,” she told Fox News. “There are public guidelines that we have offered, including that they need to notify us 24 hours in advance if they would like a tour of the facility. So, again, this is all political gamesmanship, and we’re not playing with the safety of our law enforcement officers.”
Despite this, Rep. Coleman defended the lawmakers’ actions, releasing a statement that claimed they were there to “exercise their oversight authority” and were eventually “escorted” inside.
The rhetoric escalated further when Ocasio-Cortez issued a threatening warning to ICE and DHS officers in her video. As reported by the Daily Caller, she declared, “You lay a finger on Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman or any of the representatives that were there, you lay a finger on them, and we’re going to have a problem.”
In response, ICE released body camera footage showing the chaotic scene, which included shouting and physical contact. According to the agency, Rep. LaMonica McIver was involved in an incident described as “assaulting an ICE agent.”
McLaughlin also reaffirmed the legitimacy and importance of the Delaney Hall facility, where the confrontation occurred. “Those held there include individuals suspected or convicted of being rapists, child predators, an MS-13 gang member, even a suspected terrorist,” she said, highlighting the seriousness of the facility’s mission.
As President Donald J. Trump continues to lead the charge to restore law and order at America’s borders, these confrontations serve as stark reminders of how deeply some on the radical left are willing to undermine federal law enforcement and national security—just to score political points. And if Rep. Ocasio-Cortez insists on escalating the situation further, she may soon learn that political stunts come with real legal consequences.