Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., allegedly
screamed at Customs and Border Protection agents “in a threatening manner”
during a recent visit to a southern border facility in Texas, according to a
report — after she made the explosive claim that women being held at at least
one facility are being forced to drink “out of toilets.”
The New York
Democrat allegedly became angry with federal agents on Monday in El Paso during
a trip to the area with roughly a dozen members of the Congressional Hispanic
Caucus, the Washington Examiner reported, citing two witnesses at the location.
“She comes
out screaming at our agents, right at the beginning [of the tour] … Crying and
screaming and yelling,” one witness said. “The agents, they wanted to respond,
but they held back because she’s a congressional delegate. But when you have
someone yelling at you in a threatening manner … They were like, ‘Hey, you need
to kinda step back.’”
The report
claims Ocasio-Cortez refused to tour the facility, as well, choosing to stay
with a family in a holding area instead. The freshman rep previously tweeted
about her visit to border facilities, writing that people of all ages were
being mistreated and were “drinking out of toilets” as the guards laughed at
the migrants’ plight right in front of her.
Border
Patrol Chief Brian Hastings denied Ocasio-Cortez’s allegations during an
interview on “The Story.” He unequivocally stated fresh drinking water is
provided to people in custody.
Earlier
Monday, the congresswoman accused CBP of having a “violent culture” after a
report from ProPublica surfaced about a secret Facebook group where Border
Patrol agents allegedly posted graphic and vulgar jokes about the Democratic
lawmaker as well as illegal immigrants.
Some of the
posts were graphic, doctored images of Ocasio-Cortez, including one that shows
a smiling President Trump forcing her head toward his crotch. Other comments
refer to Ocasio-Cortez and Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-Texas, as “hoes,” and one
member encouraged agents to throw a “burrito at these b——.”
Ocasio-Cortez
said she wasn’t surprised by the posts, especially after the treatment of
migrants she said she witnessed at the facility. “It’s just indicative of the
violent culture that we saw,” she said.
The
purported posts were slammed by the head of Border Patrol on Monday as
“completely inappropriate.”
“These posts
are completely inappropriate and contrary to the honor and integrity I see —
and expect — from our agents day in and day out,” Border Patrol Chief Carla
Provost said. “Any employees found to have violated our standards of conduct
will be held accountable.”
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