As Twitchy reported earlier, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was noting the irony that so many who tell of their families immigrating to the United States through Ellis Island are now “taking fervent anti-immigrant stances and branding innocent human beings as ‘illegal.'”

Plenty were quick to remind her that if your family came through Ellis Island, an official port of entry, they arrived here legally, and by the way, not everyone who arrived at Ellis Island was permitted entry into the country and given citizenship.

That wasn’t the end of her history lecture, though; she hadn’t yet brought racism into it, and so she felt she had to compare illegal immigration at the border today to slavery.

The history of Citizenship in the US is deeply woven with the history of racism. It has been used as the legal enforcer of racism for most of US history. Citizenship affords power, & that’s why citizenship of African Americans was long denied too – to both slaves & descendants. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 29, 2019

Dred Scott was the landmark Supreme Court case that found the US Constitution didn’t give citizenship to black people. The 1st US immigration law was the Chinese Exclusion Act. It was a race-based policy that was upheld until 1942. The “National Origins Formula” lasted til ‘65. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 29, 2019

But of course, just because a statute is abolished doesn’t mean the unfairness is gone. Remaining are life & death implications of other statutes & *how* laws are enforced. That’s a key part of policy in a wide range of issues from schooling to marijuana + yes, immigration too. — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) June 29, 2019

If you noticed, we used “is” and not “was” in our headline, because Ocasio-Cortez is obviously implying that the unfairness isn’t gone and there are life-and-death implications of today’s immigration laws as they’re enforced.

By the second night of the next round of Democratic debates, all the candidates will be raising their hands for the proposition that citizenship is racist https://t.co/G3HU6oIspP — Rich Lowry (@RichLowry) June 29, 2019

Can’t wait to watch Journalists defend ‘citizenship is racist’ They want open borders and they’re lying to you when they claim otherwise https://t.co/iLA4gcmeWA — Bob Malak (@bob_malak) June 29, 2019

He’s not lying. They say they’re not for open borders, they just want to decriminalize crossing the border illegally, issue driver’s licenses to illegals, abolish ICE and end deportations, give illegal immigrants free healthcare, etc.

Thanks for the Elementary School sermon — Bernie Gartenlaub (@argoexp) June 29, 2019

Now she’s trying to conflate citizenship for slaves with citizenship for people who came to the US illegally. pic.twitter.com/gj5uuO83L0 — #That’sTrue (@PaulWDrake) June 29, 2019

Lady it’s 2019 not the 1800’s. — Ivey Joan ?? (@iveyjoan_usa) June 29, 2019

We have lived past this already. We are no closer to riding on the back of the bus and drinking from a different water fountain. We live in the land where you can be just about what you want to be.

If that weren't so people wouldn't want to be here.#befreeofracismtalks — aElainem (@aelainem8) June 29, 2019

Citizenship denied by which party????? — Trisha (@Trisha30899462) June 29, 2019

If you want to get into history, it is long past time that the Democrat Party took responsibility for its role in slavery and segregation. — Proud Deplorable (@HKirsh1) June 29, 2019

The 14th Amendment was adopted in July of 1868. Just 3 years after the Civil War. it granted citizenship to former slaves. Dred Scott was 1858. Yeah REAL long time. 300,000 died to change that decision. — james todd (@nascardad50) June 29, 2019

What history book did you read? The history of citizenship? There once was a story about a land that was supposed to create freedom, the type you are experiencing when you write your own version like you do. — Linda Vega (@lgvega) June 29, 2019

Oh my gosh, would you get off the word racism. It's your favorite word. It's over used AOC, move on. — J.B. Hensley (@jamesbhensley) June 29, 2019

Race race race all the time. Keep on dividing, youre great at it. — (@AlwaysPractical) June 29, 2019

Oh look ! AOC is using the word "Racism" again. Everybody has to take a shot. I love having a barmaid on Capital Hill!? — JAM (@JArthurMerritt) June 29, 2019

Are you working for the future or living in the past? I think Sharpton and Jackson have that market covered.. find your own gig! — dav summers (@davsummers2) June 29, 2019

Good thing the democrats didn’t get their way or we’d still be segregated — jtown1970 (@jtown1970) June 29, 2019

We might be segregated again if Democratic Party frontrunner Joe Biden is elected president. We hear he has a history.

According to the World Atlas, "[t]here are 30 countries in the world that offer birthright citizenship, including the United States, Canada, and Mexico." That's 30 out of 195. But go ahead and bloviate about Dred Scott, and ignore the 14th Amendment… — CLA (@ConservativeLA) June 29, 2019

…because, to the American Left, America is always the problem. Y'all make excuses for far worse countries, and magnify everything negative about the U.S. — CLA (@ConservativeLA) June 29, 2019

Are you implying that we should offer citizenship to EVERYONE in the world? — Alex (@RealPhilLanders) June 29, 2019

Almost if not every country on earth has citizenship requirements. Why anyone takes this rambling seriously boggles my mind. — Cody (@Codymp86) June 29, 2019

You may want to brush up on every country in the world and their citizenship regulations. You might be surprised to find out a few tiny details. — A.R.G (@argutierr) June 29, 2019

You forecasted your attack on US Citizenship with your blurring of the lines between illegal and legal immigration. Nothing new here. Your next play will be to work to ensure anyone can vote in presidential (& probably certain confessional) elections regardless of citizenship. — Ian Christian (@IanChristianT1) June 29, 2019

The history of Citizenship is long and deep of LEGAL IMMIGRATION. Somehow, you continue to leave out this important fact! The amount of time, effort and TAXPAYER money used to process ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION is staggering! If only we enforced the laws we have while Congress worked! — James T Purcell (@jpheismn) June 29, 2019

When you can commit a crime as a citizen and be subject to imprisonment, fines, and penalties, but the non-citizen can commit the same crime in a sanctuary city and walk free with no consequences the same day, the non-citizen has more rights than the citizen. — Tactics (@tacticsradio) June 29, 2019

It's a shame to see the "New Democrats" only focus on what is negative regarding America and American history – as we near the 4th of July let us remember how blessed we are to live in this great Country – hatred, negativity and resentment only breeds more of the same — John Smith (@nyc_2018) June 29, 2019

I think you're auditioning to take someone's position, I also think you're an attention seeker — Stella Cabrera (@witchywoman812) June 29, 2019

You've got some serious mental issues. Your views are so incredibly bizarre. — Michael Staub (@Woodcock53) June 29, 2019

If you are really interested in what AOC represents, study Nietsche’s Slave-master morality. If you let this philosophy run amok, this generation will be the end of goodness, beauty, charity and peace. If you continue to feed this monster, you will destroy the next generation. — Sherry Collins (@missmagnoliamom) June 29, 2019

What is this person doing for her district? Hard to tell — Headliner (@NZHeadliner) June 29, 2019

Losing thousands of jobs.

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