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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
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An illegal immigrant who previously served as an aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has reportedly self-deported to Colombia, praising the “freedom of movement” in the South American nation after working in Congress despite his unauthorized status.
Diego de la Vega, born in Ecuador, arrived in the United States at age 7 in 2001 on a visitor’s visa that he eventually overstayed, according to Migrant Insider. He became a recipient of then-President Barack Obama’s DACA — Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals — program, which was essentially an amnesty that the Supreme Court later upheld during the first Trump administration.
This development raises difficult questions about his employment status with the Queens-based congresswoman, Fox News reported.
“It’s bittersweet. I hadn’t left the country in 23 years — from age seven to age 30,” de la Vega told Migrant Insider. “Now, I can’t go back to the U.S. It feels like exile. It’s a very permanent move. But my wife and I are confident we made the right decision. And, after some time, it’s been a real pleasure to be 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.”
After the Dream Act narrowly failed in 2010—falling short in the Senate by just five votes—de la Vega became politically engaged. After a stint with an immigrant rights organization, he served as communications director for Robert Rodriguez, a former New York State Assembly member who now leads the New York State Dormitory Authority, according to his LinkedIn profile.
In 2021, de la Vega joined Ocasio-Cortez’s re-election campaign and eventually rose to the role of deputy communications director, Fox added.
“Diego is amazing,” Ocasio-Cortez told the news outlet. “We love him.”
Despite not being a U.S. citizen, de la Vega worked for Ocasio-Cortez. It’s important to note that DACA recipients are prohibited from holding paid positions in congressional offices.
“We were always honest with voters in New York City,” de la Vega said 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 expressed his frustration with the direction the immigration movement was taking.
“Protections are going away, regardless of who is in the White House. The strategy hasn’t adapted to the modern era,” he said. “Biden had a trifecta — the House, Senate and White House, but dropped the ball.”
De la Vega shared that, as a child, he experienced fear, but he ultimately had a good childhood in New York. He said he may not be able to return to the U.S. “for many years” but that “it feels fulfilling to be home.”
Last month, Ocasio-Cortez came under fire for holding a webinar that critics say provided information to illegal immigrants in the U.S. about how to avoid being caught by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and deported.
The webinar caught the eye of President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, who referred the situation to the Justice Department seeking an opinion as to whether the Bronx Democrat’s actions were criminal in nature.
Subsequently, Ocasio-Cortez wrote a letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi asking if she was the subject of such an investigation.
“I’m writing to ask if the Department of Justice (DOJ) has given in to political pressure and tried to use the DOJ against elected officials whose speech they don’t agree with,” she said in her letter. “In the past two weeks, ‘Border Czar’ Tom Homan has threatened to prosecute me politically on several occasions, citing materials I sent out telling my constituents and the American public about their legal and constitutional rights.”
She added: “It’s been 14 days since Mr. Homan first said he would use your agency as a weapon, but I still haven’t heard anything from the federal government.”