AOC Slams U.S. Stance on Migrants, Says Kamala Harris Comments 'Disappointing'

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has called Vice President Kamala Harris' comments about immigration "disappointing" after Harris met with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday.

In a press conference, Harris stressed that the U.S. would enforce its laws and secure the border and she urged potential migrants not to make the journey to the country.

Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat representing New York's 14th congressional district and a member of the progressive "Squad," took to Twitter on Monday to criticize Harris' remarks.

The vice president had said: "I want to be clear to folks in this region who are thinking about making that dangerous trek to the United States-Mexico border: Do not come. Do not come."

"The United States will continue to enforce our laws and secure our borders," Harris said.

"If you come to our border, you will be turned back," she said.

Ocasio-Cortez said Harris' statement was "disappointing to see."

"First, seeking asylum at any US border is a 100% legal method of arrival," Ocasio-Cortez wrote. "Second, the US spent decades contributing to regime change and destabilization in Latin America. We can't help set someone's house on fire and then blame them for fleeing.

"It would be helpful if the US would finally acknowledge its contributions to destabilization and regime change in the region," Ocasio-Cortez added.

"Doing so can help us change US foreign policy, trade policy, climate policy, & carceral border policy to address causes of mass displacement & migration."

Harris said on Monday that she had had "a robust, candid and thorough conversation" with President Giammattei. The two discussed the issue of corruption in Guatemala, which the Biden administration has identified as an underlying cause of poverty and violence in the country that acts as a push factor for migrants to travel to the U.S.

Guatemala recently riled Washington with the removal of a judge from the country's top court, the Constitutional Court. Giammattei maintains that the move was legitimate. He also chose his chief of staff to fill one of five vacancies on the court.

"I want to emphasize that the goal of our work is to help Guatemalans find hope at home," Harris said.

Harris said the departments of Treasury, Justice, and State would work together on anti-corruption investigations and would help train local law enforcement in Guatemala, according to the Associated Press.

"We are creating this task force to address corruption. We are working on a task force that is about human smuggling. We are doing the work of requiring certain progress be made if we are going to attract U.S. investment, private investment, to this region," the vice president said.

Harris is on a three-day visit to the region - her first foreign trip as vice president - and will meet President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico in Mexico City on Tuesday.

Newsweek has asked Rep. Ocasio-Cortez and the White House for comment.