Politics

Sen Bill Cassidy Goes Off On Ocasio-Cortez’s Abolish ICE Stance

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Republican Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy aired his grievances with Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s call to defund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Twitter Wednesday.

“On Law Enforcement Appreciation Day it’s sad to see Democrats still calling to abolish ICE. Last night [Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] falsely said ‘a child died in ICE custody’ and accused ICE officers of ‘systematically violat[ing] human rights,'” Cassidy wrote.

On #LawEnforcementAppreciationDay it’s sad to see Democrats still calling to #AbolishICE. Last night @AOC falsely said “a child died in ICE custody” and accused ICE officers of “systematically violat[ing] human rights.”

— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) January 9, 2019

The child, Felipe Gomez Alonzo, died while in U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) custody Dec. 24, not ICE custody.

Ocasio-Cortez appeared on MSNBC Tuesday night following Trump’s national address on border wall funding.

“[A] child died in ICE custody,” she said. “The president should not be asking for more money to an agency that has systematically violated human rights. The president should be really defending why we are funding such an agency at all because right now what we are seeing is death.”

Cassidy disputed Ocasio-Cortez’s rebuttal and wrote “blaming border patrol (CBP) for the tragic death of a child who was brought on an extremely dangerous journey is wrong [and] ignores the facts.”

“The father of Felipe Gomez Alonzo declined medical treatment[.] The father of Jakelin Caal Maquin ‘has no complaints with how U.S. agents treated them,'” Cassidy wrote.

Cassidy also dredged up video of former President Barack Obama in 2014 discussing dangers like sex trafficking and even death that can await a child trekking to the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Do not send your children to the borders. If they do make it, they’ll get sent back. More importantly, they may not make it,” Obama said during an ABC News interview that aired June 26, 2014.

WATCH:

Blaming border patrol (CBP) for the tragic death of a child who was brought on an extremely dangerous journey is wrong & ignores the facts.

Obama 2014: “Do not send your children to the borders. If they do make it, they’ll get sent back. More importantly, they may not make it.” pic.twitter.com/Hmk06orfrQ

— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) January 9, 2019

Cassidy also pointed out ICE officers deported the last Nazi known to be residing in the U.S., 95-year-old Jakiw Palij, on July 31.

“Last year ICE literally deported a REAL Nazi from [Ocasio-Cortez’s] congressional district. But she can’t side with the men and women of ICE?” Cassidy wrote.

“This is a humanitarian crisis,” Trump said during his national address Tuesday night. “A crisis of the heart, and a crisis of the soul. Last month, 20,000 migrant children were illegally brought into the United States, a dramatic increase. These children are used as human pawns by vicious coyotes and ruthless gangs.”

Follow Evie on Twitter @eviefordham.

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