Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was confronted at the Capitol by independent journalist Nick Sortor over her silence regarding the Biden administration’s growing migrant crisis and its tragic consequences.
Sortor referenced the recent subway attack in which a Guatemalan migrant allegedly set a sleeping woman on fire at the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue subway station. Authorities have identified the alleged perpetrator, who was later arrested while riding a train in Manhattan.
The confrontation followed the resurgence of a video where Ocasio-Cortez discussed subway violence in the context of systemic issues and advocated for accountability in cases like that of Daniel Penny.
“If we do not want violence on the subways, and the point of our justice system is a level of accountability to prevent a person who does not have remorse about taking another person’s life, then we need to act,” Ocasio-Cortez said in the video, shared by the right-wing account End Wokeness.
“I mean, even people who have engaged in manslaughter or have taken a life accidentally express remorse,” she continued. “The fact that a person has expressed no remorse indicates a risk that it may happen again. If we do not want to unleash that level of violence, then we should exert a level of accountability to prevent it from happening.”
AOC: The subway will be safer if we lock up people like Daniel Penny pic.twitter.com/6R5SyndtHc
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) December 10, 2024
Nick Sortor, posting on X, recounted his confrontation with the congresswoman:
“I confronted AOC at the Capitol over her refusal to condemn the Biden Migrant Crisis, which led to a migrant setting an innocent woman on fire today. AOC blamed DANIEL PENNY for subways being unsafe and encourages even MORE unvetted migrants to pour across the border.
She responded by falsely accusing me of assault and even got the Capitol Police involved, who agreed I never touched her. AOC is one of the WORST members of Congress, and her lack of action is costing the lives of innocent New Yorkers.”
Sortor shared footage of the encounter, which sparked further discussion about Ocasio-Cortez’s stance on issues affecting New York’s public safety.
The incident underscores growing tensions around immigration policy, public safety, and how lawmakers address these challenges.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: I confronted AOC at the Capitol over her refusal to condemn the Biden Migrant Crisis, which led to a migrant setting an innocent woman on fire today
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) December 23, 2024
AOC blamed DANIEL PENNY for subways being unsafe, and encourages even MORE unvetted migrants to pour across the… pic.twitter.com/g71lGW8JEv