Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacked Assemblywoman Jaime Williams for opposing a migrant shelter at Floyd Bennett Field, a national park. She later tried to make excuses for her disgusting behavior on social media, suggesting the legislator was siding with Republicans.
The video of their exchange showed Representative Ocasio-Cortez demeaning the Democratic state legislator, who is against the idea of a shelter at Floyd Bennett Field and had voiced her concerns during a recent congressional hearing on the migrant issue.
In a video posted by Ocasio-Cortez on X, formerly known as Twitter, titled “Republicans have no solutions for immigration,” she said to Williams, “I didn’t hear in your testimony the alternative sites you advocated for.”
To which Williams responded, “I don’t have a proposal.”
This elicited a strong denigrating response from Ocasio-Cortez, who asserted, “So, you don’t have a proposed alternative. No proposed alternative. No solutions here. No ideas here.”
She noted, “All I’m hearing right now is we’re not being met in the middle. No support. No path to citizenship. No identified alternatives. Just grievances.”
After sharing the video on X, Ocasio-Cortez faced backlash from constituent Mona Davids, who accused her of attacking a Black immigrant woman.
Davids, who is also the founder and publisher of LittleAfrica News, remarked, “AOC is now attacking a Black immigrant woman for stating the obvious: that Floyd Bennett Field is not an appropriate location for a shelter.”
Davids continued, “The solution is to close the border and for everyone to follow the legal immigration process.”
In response to Davids’ tweet, Ocasio-Cortez wrote, “The Assemblymember chose to serve as the *Republican* party’s witness in today’s hearing. Perhaps it would be good to ask why!”
Davids responded to Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet saying she was “grandstanding”.
Assemblywoman Williams is an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago. She was first elected to office in April 2016.
She joined other elected officials in a lawsuit to block the construction of a migrant shelter on Floyd Bennett Field in southern Brooklyn.
Williams, while clarifying that she is not a Republican, expressed her primary concern for her community and its well-being, stating, “It’s not my responsibility to find global solutions to the problems we face. I’m not a Republican.”
The assemblywoman added, “But I am concerned about my community and our national park. We’re a residential community. I’m not going to get into a pissing contest with someone I don’t even know.”
This tense interaction has highlighted the divisions within the Democratic Party, with some supporting open borders while others express concerns about the impact of migrant shelters on their local communities.
The backdrop to this debate is the significant influx of asylum seekers to New York City, with a reported 130,000 arrivals since spring 2022.
