The Republican National Committee is calling attention to the fact that the former Nazi SS labor camp guard who was deported early Tuesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lived in the same district of New York that socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is competing to represent.
Ocasio-Cortez, a socialist who snagged a shocking Democratic primary victory against incumbent Rep. Joseph Crowley in June, has called for the abolition of ICE.
“Now that ICE has literally removed a Nazi from her backyard, where does Ocasio-Cortez stand?” asked Michael Ahrens, the rapid response director for the RNC in an email which also noted the liberal wunderkind fundraised with Occupy ICE LA, “a group that referred to ICE as ‘the Gestapo’ and encourages the harassment of ICE employees.”
The deportation of 95-year-old Jakiw Palij to Germany took place pursuant to a 2004 deportation order after which his 2005 appeal was denied. Crowley, a 10-term congressman, tweeted Tuesday that he worked with the State Department to get Palij deported out of Queens.
This is a long-overdue step toward justice and peace for victims of the Holocaust. I’m proud to have worked with the State Dept. to ensure that this former Nazi guard does not continue to live in Queens—a community that stands proud in its love for all. https://t.co/wKCEPayDj0
— Rep. Joe Crowley (@repjoecrowley) August 21, 2018
Meanwhile Ocasio-Cortez defended herself in a tweet, saying she has “no problem” opposing white supremacy and noted that her support for abolishing ICE does not mean “abolish deportation.”
#AbolishICE means not having an agency that incarcerates children and sexually assaults women with impunity.
It does not mean abolish deportation.
Also, I have no problem saying white supremacy has no place in this country.
It’s the GOP that struggles to say that. https://t.co/7gbXezIhu5
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) August 21, 2018
Ocasio-Cortez, who has seen several of her hand-picked candidates lose primaries contests in recent weeks, was declared by Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez to be “the future of our party” in early July.
