Real or staged? AOC shares photos from her 2018 visit to the border and people have questions

Photographer Ivan Pierre Aguirre tweeted out these four photos of then-House candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez visiting the Tornillo tent city near El Paso, Texas shortly before her primary race in 2018, saying he took “these previously unpublished fotos a yr ago today”

Ivan Pierre Aguirre@i_p_a_1

Before @AOC hit the national stage & was just a fairly unknown House candidate frm NYC,she took time awy frm her campaign & came dwn to #Tornillo to protest the #tentcity housing migrant children.I made these previously unpublished fotos a yr ago today. #elpaso #aoc #onassignment

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9:04 AM - Jun 25, 2019

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And AOC shared the images, saying this was the moment “I saw with my own eyes that the America I love was becoming a nation that steals refugee children from their parents,& caged them”:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

✔@AOC

I’ll never forget this, because it was the moment I saw with my own eyes that the America I love was becoming a nation that steals refugee children from their parents,& caged them.

More kids died after this. To date, no one has been held accountable.

We need to save these kids. https://twitter.com/i_p_a_1/status/1143361683710193665 …

Ivan Pierre Aguirre@i_p_a_1

Before @AOC hit the national stage & was just a fairly unknown House candidate frm NYC,she took time awy frm her campaign & came dwn to #Tornillo to protest the #tentcity housing migrant children.I made these previously unpublished fotos a yr ago today. #elpaso #aoc #onassignment

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10:15 AM - Jun 25, 2019

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But people have questions and think the photos were staged. Matt Walsh:

Matt Walsh

✔@MattWalshBlog

These are so clearly contrived and staged that it's physically painful to look at them https://twitter.com/i_p_a_1/status/1143361683710193665 …

Ivan Pierre Aguirre@i_p_a_1

Before @AOC hit the national stage & was just a fairly unknown House candidate frm NYC,she took time awy frm her campaign & came dwn to #Tornillo to protest the #tentcity housing migrant children.I made these previously unpublished fotos a yr ago today. #elpaso #aoc #onassignment

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4:51 PM - Jun 25, 2019

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And from the Daily Wire’s Amanda Prestigiacomo:

Amanda Prestigiacomo

✔@AmandaPresto

Lots of people, including from professed AOC supporters, are commenting abt how weird these photos are, suggesting they are “staged.” https://twitter.com/i_p_a_1/status/1143361683710193665 …

Ivan Pierre Aguirre@i_p_a_1

Before @AOC hit the national stage & was just a fairly unknown House candidate frm NYC,she took time awy frm her campaign & came dwn to #Tornillo to protest the #tentcity housing migrant children.I made these previously unpublished fotos a yr ago today. #elpaso #aoc #onassignment

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4:18 PM - Jun 25, 2019

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As for the photos, Aguirre did share them one year ago and it’s clear from the one on the bottom right that AOC is at the front gate to the facility and she’s reacting emotionally to…the guards? And she’s near collapse with her face in her hands because of a gate? We have questions:

Ivan Pierre Aguirre@i_p_a_1

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York City is overcome with emotion at the entrance of the CBP facility where the #tentcity housing boys and girls is located in #Tornillo. #BorderStories #ImmigrantChildren #lafrontera #onassignment @TexasTribune

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12:06 AM - Jun 25, 2018 · Texas, USA

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Over to you, readers: Staged or real?