Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said she was in favor of abolishing the Department of Homeland Security this week.
In an interview with New York Radio's David Remnick, the Democratic firebrand called the DHS an “egregious mistake.”
Ocasio-Cortez made the comment in reference to her previous calls to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
"ICE is not under DOJ, it's under the Department of Homeland Security and so we have now —" Ocasio-Cortez said.
"Would you get rid of Homeland Security too?" Remnick asked.
"I think so," Ocasio-Cortez responded. "I think so." (The Daily Wire)
DHS was created in the aftermath of 9/11 and is designed to prevent terrorist attacks and respond to threats against Americans.
According to The Daily Wire:
Eliminating DHS would bring an end to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), United States Coast Guard (USCG), United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC), United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Secret Service (USSS), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Management Directorate, Science and Technology Directorate, Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, Office of Intelligence and Analysis, and the Office of Operations Coordination.
DHS deals mainly with counterterrorism operations, border security, immigration law, cybersecurity, and disaster relief. Their annual budget is over $45 million.
Listen to Ocasio-Cortez's comments here:
Ocasio-Cortez tells The New Yorker Radio that she wants to eliminate the entire Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) July 10, 2019
Question: “Would you get rid of Homeland Security too?”
Ocasio-Cortez responds: “I think so”
DHS was created to protect America in response to 9/11 pic.twitter.com/A8i05visFi