Homan Says Ocasio-Cortez Under Investigation For Employing Illegal Migrant
Trump administration Border Czar Tom Homan said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) is under investigation for allegedly employing an undocumented immigrant and assisting others in evading Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“It’s being looked at, can’t comment past that. I’m aware of it, we’ve asked ICE to drill in on that case,” Homan told political commentator Benny Johnson in a recent interview. He added that he couldn’t comment on the case because it was still under active investigation.
“As far as you know her educating people on how to evade ICE arrests, she’s really educating them on how to be prosecuted…when you knowingly hinder your removal, that’s a crime,” Homan added during the interview.
Johnson then asked how it was possible for a member of Congress to employ an illegal alien, to which Homan responded: “It is not possible.”
Diego de la Vega, a former deputy communications director for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), moved to Colombia in March after 23 years in New York City. Born in Ecuador, he came to the U.S. at age 7 on a visitor’s visa and remained after overstaying, becoming undocumented.
The punishment for harboring an illegal alien is punishable by a large fine and years in prison, according to the Justice Dept.
Homan urged the Justice Department to investigate Ocasio-Cortez after she hosted a February “Know Your Rights” webinar advising constituents on how to respond to ICE.
That same month, she wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi seeking clarification on whether she was under investigation.
“I write to request clarity on whether the Department of Justice (DOJ) has yielded to political pressure and attempts to weaponize the agency against elected officials whose speech they disagree with,” she wrote.
“Over the past two weeks, ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan has gone on multiple forums threatening political prosecution against me, citing resources I distributed informing my constituents and the American public of their constitutional and legal rights,” she added.
Ocasio-Cortez also said Homan’s “attempts to use your agency to politically intimidate duly elected officials are a textbook threat to the right to free speech in the United States.”
Over the summer, Ocasio-Cortez was found to have broken House ethics rules by accepting more than $3,700 in gifts for her appearance at the 2021 Met Gala — including the now-infamous “Tax The Rich” dress — but paid less than $1,000 for the items.
The House Ethics Committee found that the New York Democrat failed to follow House rules on gifts and improperly gave her boyfriend, Riley Roberts, a free ticket to the exclusive $35,000-per-head event, The New York Post reported.
But the panel stopped short of issuing any formal sanctions.
According to the committee, the fair-market value of the rented Brother Vellies dress, shoes, jewelry, handbag, and hairpiece totaled $3,724.04.
Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign delayed payments for months and eventually paid just $990.76 — most of it from her own pocket.
Her staff also disputed some of the invoices and tried to reduce costs by comparing the couture gown to cheaper rentals online.
“Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s attempt to apply a retail rental cost to a handmade couture gown was unrealistic,” the committee’s report said.
The report noted that most vendors weren’t paid until after they made repeated attempts to collect — some even threatened legal action.
That led to subpoenas from the committee and a more than three-year investigation.
While the panel said it found no evidence Ocasio-Cortez “intentionally” underpaid for the goods, it did place blame on her former staffers, including ex-campaign manager Rebecca Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was caught trying to negotiate down the cost of the dress — from $1,300 to $300 — and left a $477 hairstylist bill unpaid for nearly six months.
The hairstylist eventually threatened to report the congresswoman’s campaign to the New York Department of Labor.
The Ethics Committee said no punishment would be necessary — as long as Ocasio-Cortez donates $250 to cover her boyfriend’s dinner at the event and pays an additional $2,733.28 to the designer.
