A former illegal immigrant aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) reportedly self-deported himself to Colombia.

According to Fox News, Diego de la Vega was born in Ecuador and immigrated to the United States as a 7-year-old and overstayed on a visitor’s visa.

“It’s bittersweet. I hadn’t left the country in 23 years — from age seven to age 30,” de la Vega said, according to Fox News.

“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,” he added.

Per Fox News:

De la Vega became politically active after the failure of the Dream Act in 2010, when the legislation fell just five votes short in the Senate.

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After working for an immigrant rights group, he served as communications director for Robert Rodriguez, then a member of the New York State Assembly, who currently serves as president and CEO of the New York State Dormitory Authority, according to his LinkedIn page.

In 2021, de la Vega was hired by Ocasio-Cortez’s re-election campaign and eventually became her deputy communications director.

“Diego is amazing,” Ocasio-Cortez told the news outlet. “We love him.”

De la Vega worked for Ocasio-Cortez despite not being a U.S. citizen. DACA recipients are barred from paid positions in congressional offices.

From The Washington Free Beacon:

De la Vega’s self-deportation came soon after Donald Trump won the presidential election in November. Trump’s administration has ramped up immigration enforcement, and migrant encounters at the southern border have dropped to the lowest level since 2017. A total of 42,048 illegal migrants were removed from the United States between January 21 and February 18, according to Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen.

De la Vega said in the interview that he was “illegalized” in the United States. In Colombia, by contrast, he has “freedom of movement” that is “incredibly satisfying.”

It is unclear how Ocasio-Cortez’s office handled de la Vega’s employment status, including whether he or the office paid Social Security taxes on his behalf. De la Vega, though, was barred from working in Congress due to his status as a DACA recipient, according to Migrant Insider.

De la Vega told Migrant Insider that he “lived in fear” because of his illegal status, though he also said he “had a pretty good childhood in New York.”

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He suggested that he may return to the United States at some point, though he said that may not be for “many years.”

 

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