Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the Democratic U.S. Representative for New York's 14th District, which covers parts of the Bronx and Queens.

“We’ve been leading also not just about closing Rikers, but what we turn it into. … The community has long been drafting a renewable Rikers plan to make sure that we not just address the toxic injustice — criminal injustice and the environmental injustice on the island — but also turn it into a fountain of real change.”

Ask a Pol Politics · US Politics · April 2026

Context

Said by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Ask a Pol's Matt Laslo as she walked into the Capitol during a House vote on April 16, 2026. He had asked her about the push to close the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City.

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