An unlawful immigrant who as soon as served as an aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, has reportedly self-deported to Colombia, praising the “freedom of movement” within the South American nation after working in Congress regardless of being within the nation illegally.
Diego de la Vega was born in Ecuador and immigrated to america as a 7-year-old in 2001 on a customer’s visa that he overstayed, Migrant Insider reported.
The information raises thorny questions on his employment standing for the Queens-based congresswoman.
“It’s bittersweet. I hadn’t left the country in 23 years — from age seven to age 30,” de la Vega advised Migrant Insider. “Now, I can’t return to the US. It appears like exile. It’s a really everlasting transfer. However my spouse and I are assured we made the correct determination. And, after a while, it’s been an actual pleasure to be right here.
“It feels surreal to not be illegalized anymore. I don’t have to live in the shadows or constantly worry about paperwork,” he added. “That freedom of movement is incredibly satisfying.”
De la Vega turned politically lively after the failure of the Dream Act in 2010, when the laws fell simply 5 votes brief within the Senate.
After working for an immigrant rights group, he served as communications director for Robert Rodriguez, then a member of the New York State Meeting, who at the moment serves as president and CEO of the New York State Dormitory Authority, in keeping with his LinkedIn web page.
In 2021, de la Vega was employed by Ocasio-Cortez’s re-election marketing campaign and finally turned her deputy communications director.
“Diego is amazing,” Ocasio-Cortez advised the information outlet. “We love him.”
De la Vega labored for Ocasio-Cortez regardless of not being a US citizen. DACA recipients are barred from paid positions in congressional places of work.
Fox Information Digital has reached out to the congresswoman’s workplace.
“We were always honest with voters in New York City,” de la Vega mentioned of working with Ocasio-Cortez. “We didn’t dumb it down or tell them what they wanted to hear. We engaged with them honestly. We listened, then explained that Alexandria was fighting for reform, but Republicans were blocking it.”
He famous that he turned pissed off with how the immigration motion was going.
“Protections are going away, regardless of who is in the White House. The strategy hasn’t adapted to the modern era,” he mentioned. “Biden had a trifecta — the House, Senate and White House, but dropped the ball.”
As a baby, de la Vega mentioned he lived in worry however mentioned he had a very good childhood in New York. He mentioned he might not have the ability to return to the US “for many years” however that “it feels fulfilling to be home.”
