Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., is sparring with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., on Twitter over immigration policy, after Ocasio-Cortez compared the plight of migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. to Jewish families seeking refuge from Nazi Germany.
The back-and-forth began Sunday when Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after border agents used tear gas against some migrants who attempted to illegally enter the U.S. near Tijuana, Mexico.
“Asking to be considered a refugee & applying for status isn’t a crime. It wasn’t for Jewish families fleeing Germany,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted along with a photo from NBC News depicting a woman and children fleeing the tear gas. “It wasn’t for targeted families fleeing Rwanda. It wasn’t for communities fleeing war-torn Syria. And it isn’t for those fleeing violence in Central America.”
[Opinion: The simple thing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez doesn’t get about the migrant caravan]
Graham responded, advising Ocasio-Cortez to visit the Holocaust Museum to “help her better understand the differences between the Holocaust and the caravan in Tijuana.” He also called on Congress to pass immigration reform legislation to heighten border security.
The comment didn’t go unnoticed by Ocasio-Cortez, who told Graham “the point of such a treasured museum is to bring its lessons to present day” and accused the Trump administration of violating human rights. She also referenced a remark Graham made last month during an interview with “Fox & Friends” when he said it would be “like terrible” if a DNA test revealed he was Iranian.
“While we’re recommending museums @LindseyGrahamSC, I heard your ‘joke’ about ethnic DNA preferences last month,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted Monday evening. “Perhaps you would enjoy a visit (or revisit) to the Smithsonian Museum of African-American History and Culture (@NMAAHC). It’s a great educational experience.”
.@LindseyGrahamSC, the point of such a treasured museum is to bring its lessons to present day.
This administration has jailed children and violated human rights. Perhaps we should stop pretending that authoritarianism + violence is a historical event instead of a growing force. https://t.co/aGJMrPTqNT
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 27, 2018
The dispute comes as Congress is facing a deadline next month to pass a 2019 spending bill that includes a minimum of $1.6 billion in wall funding, even though President Trump and some GOP lawmakers have pushed for as much as $5 billion.
Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Monday that 600 members of the 10,000 migrants that are part of the caravan making their way from Central America to the U.S. were convicted criminals in their countries of origin, but did not provide sourcing for the number.
