On Martin Luther King Day, it’s honorable for all American citizens to pay homage to the late reverend who pushed the Civil Rights movement forward. While various organizations and companies push their commemorative messages through their social media platforms, one government entity, in particular, is getting backlash for honoring Dr. King from one of the most outspoken congresswomen in office.
On Monday (Jan. 18), the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as I.C.E., tweeted out their support for MLK Day by publishing a graphic of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. with his distinctive quote at the top right corner.
Shortly after I.C.E sent out their tweet, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez responded to their post by making a brief statement of her own. “Abolish ICE,” AOC tweeted. The responses under her tweet did well to point out the hypocrisy of an organization like I.C.E., who spent the latter half of Trump’s presidency locking up immigrant children at the southern border, supporting a Civil Rights champion like Dr. King.
“I dream of a day where corporate America don’t use quotes to gain brownie points for equality when in actuality their business does the opposite,” one Twitter user responded. “Actions speak louder than words.”
“You cannot honor someone if you have no honor to begin with. Abolish ICE!” another Twitter user replied.
I.C.E. isn’t the first government entity to hypocritically honor the late Dr. King. Last year, the FBI thought it was a good idea to salute Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by posting a photo on their Twitter account of his infamous quote etched into a stone at the FBI Academy in Quantico. The tweet was swiftly met by critics who reminded the FBI of all the times they spied on King before he was assassinated.
Check out Twitter’s reaction to the unsolicited tribute to Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. from I.C.E. and the FBI.