U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was shouted down and faced a partially hostile crowd during a Friday town hall where some participants were upset about the Democratic socialist legislator’s positions on immigration Ukraine funding and the debt limit.
Speaking to constituents in Corona, Queens, The ‘Squad’ member was disrupted several times as some heckled and booed her, and in turn, her supporters shouted down those protesters.
‘American citizens before migrants,’ one man shouted as he walked toward Ocasio-Cortez holding small American flags. ‘Where are you on the migrant issue? You’re a piece of s–t.’
He was led away by security personnel.
The man also repeated a debunked claim that military veterans were being kicked out of New York City hotels to make room for migrants. One man who said he was an Iraq War veteran tried to calm the crowd down in support of the congresswoman.
‘Immigrants have nothing to do with vets,’ the man said, holding a microphone after Ocasio-Cortez allowed him to speak. ‘We all came through Ellis Island. Things are different. Things change over time.’
During a discussion about the June 5 debt default deadline, Ocasio-Cortez stated she believes the Biden administration should eliminate the debt limit. She has claimed that a failure to raise the limit would cause massive chaos in the U.S. economy.
‘I don’t like that Republicans passed a $1.7 trillion tax cut on the wealthiest people in this country,’ she said at one point.
Protesters noted that the U.S. has provided billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine. The Biden administration has provided Ukraine with nearly $40 billion in military aid since Russia invaded in late February 2022.
‘We are at war with Russia,’ one woman said. ‘We’re on the verge of nuclear war. Are you going to stop this war?’
‘Stop funding this war,’ one woman is heard saying while being escorted away. ‘There’s a lot of communities that need help and need that money. I’m from that community.’