Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), a leading voice of the Democrat Party’s far-left wing, is suggesting Americans must be ready to bring Palestinians to their communities.
During an interview on CNN, Ocasio-Cortez was asked whether Arab countries in the Middle East ought to open their borders to Palestinians rather than the United States.
In response, Ocasio-Cortez suggested she would support such Arab countries taking in Palestinians, but Americans would also need to be open to refugee resettlement.
The exchange went as follows:
CNN ANCHOR: Should Arab countries be taking on the lion’s share of the burden to absorb what could be over a million, if not more, refugees from Gaza?
OCASIO-CORTEZ: I think there’s something to be said about the region’s partners being able to support and step up for Palestinians. However, that does not abdicate the United States from our historic role that we’ve played in the world of accepting refugees and allowing people to restart their lives here.
AOC believes the U.S. should be taking in refugees from Gaza. pic.twitter.com/iURlP7ngnG
— Catch Up (@CatchUpFeed) October 17, 2023
Ocasio-Cortez is one of just two Democrat lawmakers who have suggested the U.S. must resettle Palestinians in American communities. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) told the New York Post last week that the U.S. ought to “welcome” Palestinians.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden’s administration and other Democrats have been silent on the issue. Reps. Tom Tiffany (R-WI) and Andy Ogles (R-TN) wrote to Biden’s top officials this week, asking them to make an “unequivocal public commitment” that there are no plans to carry out such a refugee resettlement operation out of Gaza.
Tiffany and Ogles have introduced the “GAZA Act” to ban Biden from bringing Palestinians to the U.S. for resettlement in American communities. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), this week, introduced the same legislation in the Senate.
Over the last 20 years, nearly one million refugees have been resettled in the country. This is a number more than double that of residents living in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and is the equivalent of annually adding the population of Pensacola, Florida.
Refugee resettlement costs American taxpayers nearly $9 billion every five years, according to research, and each refugee costs taxpayers about $133,000 over the course of their lifetime. Within five years, an estimated 16 percent of all refugees admitted will need housing assistance paid for by taxpayers.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter here.
