AOC was in a New York state of mind.
The far-left Bronx and Queens lawmaker was mocked on Twitter on Thursday after she referred to being in New York twice in 10 seconds — while speaking in front of the US Capitol.
The “Squad” member was among dozens of House and Senate Democrats who gathered to shame the Biden administration over its continuation of the Trump-era Title 42 border policy when she made the figurative statement.
“We have governors in states across, across the country, including here in New York with, uh, Gov. Kathy Hochul, saying ‘Expand these legal pathways,’ uh, ‘Make it easier for these folks to get work authorizations,'” Ocasio-Cortez said in her remarks.
“Here in New York, we are ready to put people to work,” AOC added.
The liberal lawmaker’s imprecise language quickly became a source of fun on social media.
“I identify as being in New York,” one user sarcastically replied.
“She’s always been lost,” another wag shrugged.
“My friend to her left… twice he said to himself, ‘Well damn…,'” another user wrote, referencing how Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas) pulled on his beard after AOC’s first Empire State mention.
Ocasio-Cortez, 33, and 76 other Democrats had signed a letter to President Biden on Thursday calling for an end to the policy that has expelled 2.5 million asylum seekers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and stop pursuing a new proposal that would ban migrants who don’t first apply for asylum in a third country through which they travel to the US.
The heavily litigated health emergency measure was set to expire last month, but the White House reversed course as the southern border was overwhelmed with new arrivals in the lead-up to its expiration.
“The right to seek asylum is enshrined in domestic and international law and the United States is a shining example, and we have sought and aspired to be an example to uphold international law,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
“Instead, this administration is making it effectively impossible to seek refuge at our border.”
The Supreme Court will take up the issue next month after 19 Republican-led states argued the measure should remain in effect to mitigate the migrant crisis.
