Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Breaks From Democrats, Votes Against Funding ICE

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) was the only House Democrat to vote against funding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Wednesday, once again breaking from establishment Democrats seeking to end the partial government shutdown without funding Donald Trump’s inhumane border wall. “Most of our votes are pretty straightforward, but today was a tough/nuanced call,” she said in an Instagram video. “We didn’t vote with the party because one of the spending bills included ICE funding, and our community felt strongly about not funding that.” The bill was supported by 223 Democrats and six Republicans, and opposed by 183 Republicans. It would fund the federal government through February 28, Business Insider reports. While some conservatives have pointed out that the progressive congresswoman from the Bronx voted in line with Republicans, they have failed to mention the foundation of her decision. In political conversations between the center and right, the left is often overlooked. And for a Democratic Party that likes to play sleight-of-hand on immigration and deportation issues, Ocasio-Cortez’s vote honored the fact that, in a nation where La Migra is as common a school-yard game as “Cops and Robbers,” ICE is a purveyor of terrorism against Black and Brown people whether there is a border wall or not. https://www.essence.com/news/trump-dems-reach-deal-to-reopen-government-for-three-weeks/ Ocasio-Cortez ran on abolishing ICE, so this is not only a firm nod to the communities who voted for her, but a clear message to centrist Democrats. Now, though, that Trump and Congressional Dems have reached a deal to reopen the government for three weeks, it remains to be seen if and how that message changes in the coming weeks.