New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez says Fox personality Tucker Carlson is a "white supremacist sympathiser" who the network allows to "broadcast an hour-long production of unmitigated racism, without any accountability whatsoever".

The latest broadside against the network host, who has called white supremacy a "hoax" and not a "real problem", came after a guest on the show smeared the progressive politician's district — home to thousands of immigrants in the boroughs of Queens and the Bronx — as one of the "least American districts in the country" and "gross".

Seth Barron, an associate editor of the right-wing City Journal, claimed the 14th district was "occupied by relatively few American citizens" and is home to "a very high percentage" of people living in the country illegally, who "wind up producing a lot of garbage".

The latest figures from the US Census show roughly 47 per cent of the district is foreign-born, but not "illegal aliens" or non-citizens, as Mr Barron claimed.

Mr Barron's comments were packaged in a segment alleging the congresswoman's hypocrisy for support of a Green New Deal, which would address the rising threats of climate change and economic inequality through a series of sweeping economic and social reforms.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez greets fellow lawmakers ahead of the State of the Union address Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez participates in an event with Democratic members of Congress EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures The Democrat senator speaks during a news conference at the U.S. Capitol January 30, 2019 Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and fellow Democrat Rashida Tlaib AP Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at the Senate chamber to watch two votes on January 24, 2019 Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez arrives with Chellie Pingree at a House Democratic Caucus meeting Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez during Donald Trump's State of the Union address Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures New York State Assembly member Catalina Cruz with Ocasio-Cortez AFP/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Nydia Velazquez talks with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez casts her vote for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker of the House EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez poses with a campaign worker during a whistle stop in the Queens borough of New York Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez outside the US Capitol AFP/Getty Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio-Cortez after casting her ballot in the 2018 midterm general election at a polling site in New York EPA Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez looks on during a march organised by the Women's March Alliance in Manhattan Reuters Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the Democratic congresswoman in pictures Ocasio Cortez looks on at the Capitol in Washington, DC, on January 16, 2019 AFP/Getty

The segment supported its argument with a video of litter apparently found in the area.

Mr Carlson said: "How can we take seriously anything she says about the environment when this — she should be ashamed of this."

On Twitter, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said: "I go back and forth on whether to go on Fox News. ... The main reason I haven't is squaring the fact that the ad revenue from it bankrolls a white supremacist sympathiser to broadcast an hour-long production of unmitigated racism, without any accountability whatsoever."

She continued: "'Immigrants are dirty' is a lazy, tired, racist trope. ... Secondly, environmental injustice is a major motivation as to why we introduced and wrote the Green New Deal the way we did in the first place."

Dozens of advertisers have pulled out of Tucker Carlson Tonight over the last year over the host's increasingly xenophobic rhetoric as well as resurfaced clips of his misogynistic comments made on a controversial radio show.

On an August episode of his programme, Mr Carlson called white supremacy a "hoax" that has been "used to divide the country and keep a hold on power".

Just a few days earlier, a white man in El Paso, Texas killed 22 people and wounded dozens others after posting an online message attacking immigrants arriving from the US-Mexico border and echoing anti-immigrant language used by Mr Carlson and other right-wing media personalities.

After defending his statements following his appearance on Fox, Mr Barron said he "chose the wrong words".