Ocasio-Cortez dismisses criticism from ‘shrieking Republicans’

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday dismissed criticism from “shrieking Republicans” who targeted comments in which the freshman lawmaker called immigration detention facilities “concentration camps.”

“For the shrieking Republicans who don’t know the difference: concentration camps are not the same as death camps,” she tweeted.

“Concentration camps are considered by experts as ‘the mass detention of civilians without trial.’ And that’s exactly what this administration is doing.”

And for the shrieking Republicans who don’t know the difference: concentration camps are not the same as death camps.

Concentration camps are considered by experts as “the mass detention of civilians without trial.”

And that’s exactly what this administration is doing.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 18, 2019

{mosads}Ocasio-Cortez also specifically responded to Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) after the No. 3 House Republican told her to “spend just a few minutes learning some actual history.”

“Hey Rep. Cheney, since you’re so eager to ‘educate me,’ I’m curious: What do YOU call building mass camps of people being detained without a trial? How would you dress up DHS’s mass separation of thousands children at the border from their parents?” she asked. 

Hey Rep. Cheney, since you’re so eager to “educate me,” I’m curious:

What do YOU call building mass camps of people being detained without a trial?

How would you dress up DHS’s mass separation of thousands children at the border from their parents? https://t.co/OOfrrfa1Ew

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 18, 2019

“Happy to help educate you @AOC,” Cheney replied. “You could start with the ⁦@yadvashem ⁩ survivor testimonies. I also recommend Night by Elie Wiesel. Here’s an Amazon link to make it easy for you to purchase.”

Happy to help educate you @AOC. You could start with the ⁦@yadvashem⁩ survivor testimonies. I also recommend Night by Elie Wiesel. Here’s an Amazon link to make it easy for you to purchase. https://t.co/PWHEgciGgG https://t.co/4eMe13FgZp

— Liz Cheney (@Liz_Cheney) June 18, 2019

Ocasio-Cortez first made the concentration camps comment late Monday while on Instagram Live talking about the Trump administration’s housing of immigrants near the southern border.

“The U.S. is running concentration camps on our southern border, and that is exactly what they are,” she said. “If that doesn’t bother you … I want to talk to the people that are concerned enough with humanity to say that ‘never again’ means something.”

She clarified during her livestream that she did not use the phrase to “just throw bombs.”

Concentration camps were used by the Nazis to hold Jews and other political prisoners and groups deemed by the government to be undesirable without trial under harsh conditions.

Immigrants detained illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border are often held before immigration or asylum trials.

–This report was updated at 11:57 a.m.