AOC tried to claim that former ICE Director Tom Homan was the actual author of the “family separation policy” memo. Homan explains to her that he signed the memo, but he did not write it and that he made other recommendations to DHS. He stressed that he pushed a “zero tolerance” policy for illegal immigrants.
AOC interjected, “the recommendation, of the many you recommended, you recommended family separation."
Homan clarifies, "I recommended zero-tolerance. The same it is with every U.S. citizen parent gets arrested with their child."
He added, "If I get arrested for a DUI and I have a young child in the car, I'm going to be separated."
AOC then said that asylum seekers should not be arrested because the act of seeking asylum is not a crime.
Homan responded that some asylum seekers cross the border illegally instead of presenting themselves at ports of entry, "If you want to seek asylum, then go to a port of entry. Do it the legal way. The attorney general of the United States has made that clear.”
AOC went speechless.
This wasn’t the heated moment of the hearing.
Homan also hit back at Illinois Democrat Rep. Chuy Garcia for exploiting children in an attempt to score political points.
Garcia said “Mr Homan, do you understand that the consequences of separation of many children will be lifelong trauma and carried across generations? Have we not learned from the interment of Japanese Americans? Mr. Homan, I'm a father. Do you have children? How can you possibly allow this to happen under your watch? Do you not care? Is it because these children don't look like children that are around you? I don't get it. Have you ever held a deceased child in your arms?”
Homan fired back, “First of all, your comments are disgusting…I've served my country for 34 years. This is out of control. Yes, I held a 5-year-old boy in my arms that was in the back of a tractor-trailer and knelt down beside him and said a prayer for him because I knew what the last 30 minutes of his life were like and I had a 5-year-old son at the time. What I've been doing in my 34 years serving my nation is to save lives. So for you to sit there and insult my integrity and my love of my country and for children...that's why this whole thing needs to be fixed — and you're the member of Congress! Fix it!"