‘Come for Me’: Top Democrats Unafraid of Border Czar’s Threats
Congresswoman, governor targeted for upholding migrants’ civil liberties
Two top Democrats remain defiant in the face of threats made against them by Trump administration border czar, Tom Homan.
Homan and other Trump administration officials have threatened consequences for Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, of New York; and Gov Tony Evers, of Wisconsin, for refusing to cooperate with Trump’s plans for mass deportations of migrants, an effort overseen by Homan.
Occasio-Cortez has held training sessions for migrants in her district to inform them of their constitutional rights to not cooperate with federal immigration agents.
And Evers last month issued a memo to Wisconsin state employees giving directions how to deal with potential interactions with federal agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Homan has been claiming that such actions amount to impeding law enforcement.
“Wait till you see what’s coming,” he told reporters outside the White House when asked about Evers’ guidance. “I meant what I said. You can not support what we’re doing. And you can support sanctuary cities if that’s what you want to do. But if you cross that line of impediment or knowingly harboring and concealing an illegal alien, that is a felony. And we’ll treat it as such.”
But Ocasio-Cortez and Evers say that they are unafraid.
“You have the right to turn them away unless they have the proper paperwork or coming in the proper way. And when we first did one of these seminars, Tom Homan, then acting director of ICE, said that he was threatened to refer me to the [Justice Department], because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutionally guaranteed protection,” the congresswoman said. “And you may want to do it again today. And to that I say, ‘Come for me.’”
Such threats are part of the Trump administration’s embrace of authoritarianism, Evers said in a TV interview.
“Now, I’m used to Republicans and the right-wing lying about me. It comes with the job. But this time, these lies came at a cost,” he said. “I haven’t broken the law. I haven’t committed a crime and I’ve never encouraged or directed anyone to break any laws or commit any crimes.
“But when President Trump’s hand-picked appointee, Tom Homan, was asked about me and this guidance after he apparently threatened to arrest elected officials across the country, he said, ‘Wait till you see what’s coming. Wait till you see what’s coming,’” Evers added. “Overnight, Republican lawmakers piled on, encouraging the Trump administration to arrest me. Chilling threats like this should be out of concern to every Wisconsinite and every American who cares about this country and the values we hold dear.”
Please support our work…
Please subscribe…