The border battle between former Trump administration border czar Tom Homan and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has escalated yet again — and this time, the gloves are off.
At a recent town hall, Ocasio-Cortez threw down the gauntlet, daring Homan to refer her to the Department of Justice for what she characterized as exercising her “free speech rights” by advising illegal immigrants on how to avoid law enforcement. “Come for me,” she declared defiantly.
Tom Homan reacts LIVE to AOC challenging him to come after her for educating illegals on how to evade ICE 🔥
"I take pleasure I can live in her mind rent free everyday. We all know exactly what she's doing. She's educating the worst of the worst on how to evade law enforcement.… pic.twitter.com/euO8wWAEJ4
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) May 7, 2025
On Tuesday night, Homan responded with sharp rebuke on Fox News, making it clear he sees the congresswoman’s statements as not only reckless but potentially criminal. “I take pleasure I can live in her mind rent-free every day,” he quipped, before launching into a more serious critique.
“She’s educating the worst of the worst on how to evade law enforcement,” Homan said. “But the tables have now turned: she’s educating people how to get prosecuted.”
.@AOC is challenging @RealTomHoman to “come get her” for helping illegals avoid deportations.
Be careful what you wish for, sweetie. pic.twitter.com/3dtH730lRK
— Spitfire (@DogRightGirl) May 3, 2025
Homan pointed to federal law, specifically Title 8 of the U.S. Code, section 1253, which outlines penalties for those who willfully fail to comply with orders of removal issued by immigration courts. “It’s a crime to take steps to not comply with ICE removal orders, or not comply with ICE actions to take you into custody,” he stated. “You can’t hinder your own removal that was ordered by the federal judge.”
The former ICE director made it clear he believes Ocasio-Cortez is skirting dangerously close to legal trouble. “I would like AOC to read Title 8, USC 1253, because it’s starting tomorrow,” he warned, suggesting enforcement action could be imminent or that legal scrutiny is now firmly on the table.
America,
Watch your new Border Czar, Tom Homan, absolutely destroy AOC with nothing but facts 🔥🔥🔥
We are in good hands. pic.twitter.com/2t7qggNCfq
— TONY™ (@TONYxTWO) November 11, 2024
AOC, for her part, has previously defended her actions by framing them as constitutionally protected advocacy. In a March interview with NPR, she said she was “informing all of my constituents of their constitutional protections and, in particular, their constitutional protections against illegal search and seizure.” When asked directly whether she was offering this advice to undocumented immigrants, she replied plainly, “I was giving advice to all of my constituents, yeah.”