Tensions have escalated between Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and former President Donald Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, over her efforts to assist illegal immigrants in evading ICE raids.

Homan has intimated that Ocasio-Cortez could face legal troubles for her recent actions, stirring significant debate, as the Daily Fetched reports.

In a recent appearance on Fox News with Laura Ingraham, Homan, who serves as the border czar under Trump, voiced concerns about Ocasio-Cortez's involvement in educating illegal aliens on how to resist ICE operations. He revealed that he had issued a request for a legal opinion from the deputy attorney general on this matter.

Homan's inquiry centers on a specific incident where AOC hosted a webinar aimed at informing participants about resisting ICE activities in New York. The discussion included tactics that migrants could use during ICE raids, like not opening doors to agents unless they presented a warrant signed by a judge.

During the webinar, which occurred on a Wednesday, the congresswoman shared a comprehensive "Know Your Rights" guide with attendees. She instructed migrants on practical measures to resist ICE without confronting agents directly, emphasizing the importance of legal knowledge in such situations.

Webinar Triggers Controversy, Legal Inquiry

Homan is assessing whether Ocasio-Cortez's actions could be construed as obstructing law enforcement's ability to operate.

His letter to the deputy attorney general questions the extent of impediment these actions could have posed.

"Is she crossing the line? Where’s that line that they crossed, so maybe AOC is going to be in trouble or not? But I need the AG to opine on that," Homan stated on the broadcast, stressing the uncertainty and potential legal implications of the webinar.

Responding to the accusations, Ocasio-Cortez took to the social media platform X, urging Homan to "read the Constitution," signaling her confidence in the legality of her actions and right to inform the public on their rights.

Legal Experts Weigh in on ICE Tactics

Supporting Ocasio-Cortez's views, Genia Blaser, an attorney from the Immigrant Defense Project, spoke during the webinar.

She characterized ICE raids as political tactics meant to instill fear within communities and defended the legal rationale behind urging cautious engagement with ICE agents.

"ICE raids are political tactics, and they’re often intended to create fear," Blaser explained, aligning with AOC's perspective that resisting ICE must be understood as part of a broader response against what they perceive as excessive enforcement activities.

Additionally, Blaser discussed the narratives used by ICE to justify their operations. "We see how ICE often uses rhetoric to criminalize immigrants, to normalize their tactics, and justify what they’re doing," she noted, highlighting the troubling aspects of enforcement strategies that seem to target immigrant communities disproportionately.

A Closer Look into Webinar Details, Aftermath

Homan's approach to the situation was notably tentative, acknowledging his lack of legal expertise while expressing his concerns about possible legal ramifications. "I’m not an attorney, I’m not a prosecutor. Is that impeding our law enforcement efforts? If so, what are we going to do about it?" he questioned during his television appearance.

This development has ignited a broader discussion on the rights of elected officials to engage in educational activities about legal rights and the boundaries between informing the public and obstructing law enforcement. Legal experts and community leaders alike are closely monitoring the outcome of Homan's inquiry, recognizing its potential implications for advocacy and law enforcement relations going forward.

In her discourse, Ocasio-Cortez emphasized collective resistance as a means to slow down ICE operations.

"When one of these things [raids] comes to your backyard, you can resist, and when that happens over millions of people, is that you generate enough friction that they cannot go as fast as they want to go," she articulated during the webinar, encapsulating the sentiment driving her advocacy.

Ocasio-Cortez's firm stance and subsequent community backing highlight a pivotal moment in the ongoing debate over immigration enforcement and the rights of migrants in the United States. As the situation unfolds, both supporters and critics of her approach are keenly awaiting the deputy attorney general's legal opinion, which could have wide-reaching effects on how politicians engage with immigration issues in the future.