Arizona Border Patrol fired back Wednesday at claims made by Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, offering a video tour of an Arizona processing facility.
“Here is a look at the inside of a #BorderPatrol processing center with Chief Patrol Agent of #TucsonSector Roy Villareal,” read the tweet from CBP Arizona’s official Twitter account.
Here is a look at the inside of a #BorderPatrol processing center with Chief Patrol Agent of #TucsonSector Roy Villareal @CBP pic.twitter.com/vu1dyV72Uz
— CBP Arizona (@CBPArizona) July 4, 2019
CBP Arizona Chief Patrol Agent Roy Villareal, saying that his intent was “to dispel some of the misinformation that’s out there,” was careful to point out many of the things Ocasio-Cortez and others had claimed that detainees did not have, such as clean diapers, clean clothing, snacks and toothbrushes.
Reminder this admin is CHOOSING to round up refugees seeking asylum, fighting to not give children toothpaste or soap & making people sleep on dirt floors.
They say it’s bc of a lack of ????. You know what saves money? Not putting masses of people in internment in the first place.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 22, 2019
#CloseTheCamps https://t.co/FL4KV3sLqk
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 22, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez followed her criticism on border conditions with a “no” vote on a humanitarian aid bill, arguing that support for the Senate’s version of the bill would only give the administration incentive to “build more camps.” (RELATED: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Claims CBP Culture Is ‘Violent’ Following Report On Facebook Group)
This Senate Bill will have us write a $4.6 Billion blank check (incl military $) for the border w NO accountability – just a verbal pinky promise.
Trump is not to be trusted with protecting our immigrants. Why must that even be stated? We need hard lines of protection, in ink. https://t.co/xFci23pFo6
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 27, 2019
Just a few days later, Ocasio-Cortez visited the border with a small delegation of Congressional Democrats, coming out of the detention centers with horror stories about over-crowded, unsanitary conditions and border patrol agents who had allegedly told migrant women to drink water from the toilet.
Just left the 1st CBP facility.
I see why CBP officers were being so physically &sexually threatening towards me.
Officers were keeping women in cells w/ no water & had told them to drink out of the toilets.
This was them on their GOOD behavior in front of members of Congress.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2019
Now I’m on my way to Clint, where the Trump admin was denying children toothpaste and soap.
This has been horrifying so far. It is hard to understate the enormity of the problem. We’re talking systemic cruelty w/ a dehumanizing culture that treats them like animals.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2019
Several border patrol officials — and others — responded to Ocasio-Cortez after her visit, arguing that the conditions, while not ideal, were not like she said.