Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has released a four-point immigration plan for dealing with the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
Ocasio-Cortez, who toured facilities Monday where migrants are held after being caught crossing the border illegally — and which she refers to as “concentration camps” — unveiled her plan via Twitter on Wednesday.
The plan begins by calling for more aid to the countries of the “Northern Triangle” in Central America — El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras — on the apparent theory that more cash will address what Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) calls the “root causes” of the migration.
Next, Ocasio-Cortez — echoing presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke — demands action on climate change and the implementation of her “Green New Deal,” which she says will reduce the flow of “refugees.”
Following that, Ocasio-Cortez calls for decriminalizing illegal border crossings, making illegal immigration a “civil” matter.
Finally, she calls for massive spending by the government to stimulate the economy — though the U.S. economy is already growing quickly, and is at the lowest unemployment levels in nearly half a century.
A thread of some of the policy approaches we should consider wrt immigration:
1. Foreign policy: Reinstate US humanitarian aid in the Northern Triangle, where people are fleeing. US should start acting like a real partner in Latin America,& increase visas where we intervene.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 3, 2019
2. Climate change: There is broad consensus from military to activists that resource strains (droughts, famine, etc) & nat disasters are drivers of refugees.
People are fleeing places that were once livable &are no longer. It will get worse the longer we do nothing #GreenNewDeal
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 3, 2019
3. Border policy: As @JulianCastro mentioned in the #DemDebate, it’s time to repeal Section 1325 & 1326, the statutes this admin is using to mindlessly throw people in cages.
We have to take these proceedings out of criminal code & into civil code. Torture accomplishes nothing.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 3, 2019
4. Econ: We need large-scale public investment to spur job creation for citizens&immigrants alike. Ideally that investment transitions us to a sustainable economy (climate & income-wise). We are overdue to rebuild American infra&it’s going to take ALL of us & immigrants to do it.
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 3, 2019
Ocasio-Cortez’s plan does not include any provision for additional border security; for fighting Mexican cartels that smuggle people across the border; or for protecting women and children from sexual assault, violence, or trafficking.
Story cited here.