Democratic New York Congresswoman-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez proposed her own solution to the continued unrest at the U.S.-Mexico border, claiming that the government should deploy caseworkers in place of troops.
Suggesting that a military presence and response at the border created a “moral crisis,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, “What if instead of sending [5,000] troops to the border, we had sent [5,000] caseworkers to review [and] process visa applications?”
BOSTON, MA – OCTOBER 01: New York Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at a rally calling on Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) to reject Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court on October 1, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. Sen. Flake is scheduled to give a talk at the Forbes 30 under 30 event in Boston after recently calling for a one week pause in the confirmation process to give the FBI more time to investigate sexual assault allegations. (Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images)
What if instead of sending 5k troops to the border, we had sent 5k caseworkers to review + process visa applications?
In addition to averting moral crisis, it also would‘ve saved enormous amt of resources. But we don’t talk about the financial recklessness of GOP admins, do we?
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@Ocasio2018) November 26, 2018
She continued, “In addition to averting moral crisis, it also would‘ve saved [an] enormous [amount] of resources. But we don’t talk about the financial recklessness of GOP admins, do we?”
The problem with Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed solution is that many of the migrants appear to be approaching the border with the intent to cross illegally without attempting to declare asylum at a legal port of entry at all. (RELATED: Migrant Caravan Tries To Storm Border, U.S. Responds With Tear Gas)
Hundreds try to storm the border. Expect significant US response #tijuana pic.twitter.com/0T50XUnXtY
— emma murphy (@emmamurphyitv) November 25, 2018
Migrants with children now scrambling up railway siding trying to reach us border thru mountain pic.twitter.com/ZeEZ0NApIx
— emma murphy (@emmamurphyitv) November 25, 2018
Here’s moment right before shot bang. You can see some rocks being thrown. pic.twitter.com/p0M9p7Rx4G
— WendyFry (@WendyFry_) November 25, 2018
Additionally, Ocasio-Cortez left out the fact that migrants seeking asylum do not apply for visas at all — rather, once inside the borders of the United States, they submit an application for asylum (I-589). If that is denied, they are given a notice to appear or a referral to an immigration judge.
