Ocasio-Cortez Claims Border Police Are Forcing Women to Drink From Toilets After Trip to CBP Facility
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) claims she saw detained migrants living in horrendous conditions during her visit to a U.S. Border Patrol facility in El Paso, TX.
“Just left the 1st CBP facility. I see why CBP officers were being so physically & sexually threatening towards me,” Ocasio-Cortez told her Twitter followers. “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.”
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
Ocasio-Cortez went on to make more accusations about the conditions migrants at the border are forced to live with.
Now I’ve seen the inside of these facilities.
It’s not just the kids. It’s everyone. People drinking out of toilets, officers laughing in front of members Congress.
I brought it up to their superiors. They said “officers are under stress & act out sometimes.” No accountability.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2019
After I forced myself into a cell w/ women&began speaking to them, one of them described their treatment at the hands of officers as “psychological warfare” – waking them at odd hours for no reason, calling them wh*res, etc.
Tell me what about that is due to a “lack of funding?”
— 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
Ocasio-Cortez’s tweets refer in part to a report from ProPublica about a secret Facebook group in which current and former Border Patrol agents shared sexist and xenophobic memes about immigrants. The report also describes offensive content the group shared with reference to Ocasio-Cortez.
From ProPublica:
Perhaps the most disturbing posts target Ocasio-Cortez. One includes a photo illustration of her engaged in oral sex at an immigrant detention center. Text accompanying the image reads, “Lucky Illegal Immigrant Glory Hole Special Starring AOC.”
Another is a photo illustration of a smiling President Donald Trump forcing Ocasio-Cortez’s head toward his crotch. The agent who posted the image commented: “That’s right bitches. The masses have spoken and today democracy won.”
Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), who also toured the facility with Ocasio-Cortez, corroborated her colleague’s claim in a video posted to Twitter.
“If you want water, just drink from a toilet.” That’s what border patrol told one thirsty woman we met on today’s #DemsAtTheBorder trip. These are the same CBP personnel who threatened to throw burritos at members of Congress. Changes must be made. #DontLookAway pic.twitter.com/dW34DRduDA
— Judy Chu (@RepJudyChu) July 1, 2019
UPDATE –– 8:00 pm ET: Ocasio-Cortez went into some detail after a reporter questioned the account:
This was in fact the type of toilet we saw in the cell.
Except there was just one, and the sink portion was not functioning – @AyannaPressley smartly tried to open the faucet, and nothing came out.
So the women were told they could drink out of the bowl. https://t.co/rcu9Rt6B2x
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 1, 2019
