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Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is putting prominent Democrats, including potential presidential contenders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and California Gov. Gavin Newsom, on blast for hosting webinars and sharing resources on how illegal immigrants can “defy” ICE.
Mullins’ comments come after President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday morning that ICE would resume making vehicle stops after a one-day pause following two officer-involved shootings in Maine and Texas. DHS had sent agents nationwide a notice the day before, instructing them to cease vehicle stops until further notice.
Commenting on the quick reversal, Mullin emphasized in a social media post that the agency’s “#1 goal is to keep our officers safe and get criminals OFF our streets.” He said that DHS officers are currently facing a more than 1,300 percent increase in vehicle attacks.
Mullin noted that “this reckless illegal alien activity comes after sanctuary politicians held webinars and shared resources for how to openly defy [ICE].”
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Among the Democrats Mullin named were Ocasio-Cortez and Newsom, two of the most prominent leaders in the party who are both widely rumored to be weighing presidential runs in 2028.
The DHS chief alleged that Ocasio-Cortez hosted a webinar “providing tips for illegal aliens to evade arrests at homes, workplaces, or in public.”
Ocasio-Cortez’s office hosted a “Know Your Rights With ICE” webinar last year. During the webinar, which was broadcast from the congresswoman’s Facebook page, migrant viewers were informed of how to deal with ICE search requests if officers come calling to their homes or place of work. Ocasio-Cortez did not take part in the webinar. She did, however, upload tips to Instagram, via posters in both English and Spanish, and called on her followers to share the posters widely and study them.
“Our strategic advantage in this moment is our strength in numbers,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote. “It is time to use it. In nearly every way, we outnumber those who want to abuse their power and keep people in fear. The truth is, they cannot come after us all. That is why they actively USE and create fear: to get us to give up in advance and withdraw from public life without them lifting a finger.”
She also called on her followers to print out the posters and “tape them up in your workplace or keep them by your door.”
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“So if ICE comes to your workplace or home, whether you are a citizen or noncitizen – YOU can defend your community and our constitution by exercising your rights,” she wrote.
Meanwhile, Mullin charged Newsom of having “released guides and sanctuary laws advising illegal aliens how to recognize ICE, block entry, and defy arrest.”
Since Trump’s return to office, Newsom has signed several measures expanding California’s sanctuary policies, including a $50 million package funding immigrant legal defense and lawsuits against the Trump administration, legislation attempting to ban ICE agents from wearing masks during operations and new restrictions on immigration enforcement at schools and public hospitals.
Newsom’s office also published “Know Your Rights” materials instructing immigrants and Californians on how to recognize ICE agents and how to respond to arrests. The factsheet urged people not to assault or obstruct federal agents but to record and document their activity. The document was published in 15 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Spanish.
Newsom, along with California Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, launched an online portal for people to report “potentially unlawful activity” by federal agents.
In response to Mullin’s critique, Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Newsom’s office, told Fox News Digital that “this wouldn’t be necessary if the Trump Administration actually trained ICE officers on the public’s Constitutional rights and ensured those rights are respected.”
“There is nothing more American than making sure everyone is aware of their rights,” she said, adding, “We follow the law. The Trump Administration should try it — train your agents and stop the deaths.”
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Besides Newsom and Ocasio-Cortez, Mullin also called out Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., for posting a video “calling on illegal aliens to make a plan for ICE encounters” and Los Angeles Democratic Mayor Karen Bass for issuing “multilingual flyers and online resources advising illegal aliens on how to evade arrest.”
Fox News Digital also reached out to Ocasio-Cortez, Goldman and Bass for comment.
Mullin emphasized that “illegal aliens will be arrested and deported wherever they are.”
In light of Democrats’ rhetoric towards ICE, the secretary added, “We remind illegal aliens attempting to evade arrest is dangerous.”
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In a social media post re-shared by DHS on Wednesday morning, Trump wrote that pausing ICE vehicle stops would be “playing right into” criminals’ hands.
“We must be strong, tough, and smart, and we CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” he wrote, adding, “The Radical Left Dumocrats would like to see this done, but it won’t happen on my watch. I.C.E. be judicious, fair and smart, and go back and do your very important job.”
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