AOC warns US 'headed to fascism,' says Trump 'completely engineered' humanitarian crisis

close

Video

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasts conditions at migrant detention centers

Border Patrol pushes back, says Democratic lawmaker's accusations aren't true; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'

After touring a migrant holding facility, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., warned about the direction of the country and blasted House Democrats and President Trump for their actions during the migrant crisis.

“Are we headed to fascism? Yes. I don’t think there’s a question,” Ocasio-Cortez reportedly told Yahoo News on Monday. Her comments harkened back to a controversial comparison she made between migrant facilities and "concentration camps" -- statements she refused to apologize for but which sparked considerable backlash from Republicans. She then repeated the comparison again on Tuesday evening.

Ocasio-Cortez has continually pummeled the administration for its treatment of migrants and insisted that they faced deplorable conditions under Trump.

“This is completely engineered by him,” she said of Trump and the humanitarian crisis at the border. The New Yorker cited how the U.S. withdrew aid to places that needed it.

OCASIO-CORTEZ ACCUSES BORDER OFFICERS OF 'VIOLENT CULTURE' AFTER REPORT ON GRAPHIC FACEBOOK POSTS

Video

“It deepened and exacerbated all of the crises that are already happening, causing a flood of people to try to escape these horrifying conditions," she said. "So we are contributing to the surge in the first place. We’re engineering it, so that’s coming to our border.”

Among her many claims, Ocasio-Cortez claimed that border agents forced people to drink out of toilets. Her claims migrant conditions have drawn criticism from current and former immigration officials.

Republicans, however, have blamed congressional Democrats for inaction in addressing flaws in immigration law. Ocasio-Cortez specifically faced criticism for not backing a funding package designed to provide aid to migrants in U.S. custody.

"All talk, no dollars," White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said in reference to Ocasio-Cortez's approach.

ANOTHER DEMOCRAT JOINS AOC IN CRITICIZING BORDER PATROL AGENTS: 'WE WERE DISRESPECTED'

Ocasio-Cortez, on Tuesday, blasted her fellow Democrats for approving funding without amendments providing accountability for how immigration authorities used Congressional money. She reportedly said Democrats who voted for the $4.5 billion funding package were "horrible."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., she argued, "lost control" of the Democratic caucus while some Democrats thought "immigrants don't matter."

The New York congresswoman previously called for a hold on funding for immigration enforcement, accusing them of killing migrant children.She wasn't the only Democrat to make charged comments about migrant conditions. House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., claimed federal officials should face charges for "child abuse."

In a letter to colleagues on Tuesday, Pelosi decried conditions at the border as "unconscionable."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"What we have witnessed is unconscionable disrespect for the dignity and worth of God’s children," she said. "We have witnessed disrespect for the House and for the oversight duty of Members of Congress to visit sites unannounced to uncover the truth for the America people."

"We have also learned of vile, crude disrespect for children, families and, indeed, Members of Congress by some in CBP, which demands total repudiation by the Border Patrol and the Trump Administration," she added.