AOC claims 'surge' plays into White supremacist philosophy – but Biden, Obama have used word in border debates

The two most recent Democratic presidents have used militaristic language regarding the border crisis that plays into a White supremacist philosophy, according to a standard laid out by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.

Earlier this week, the progressive icon released a video in which she claimed that "anyone who's using the word 'surge' around you, consciously, is trying to invoke a militaristic frame."

"And that's a problem," she added. "Because this is not a surge, these are children. And they are not insurgents. And we are not being invaded, which, by the way, is a White supremacist idea, philosophy, the idea that if an 'other' is coming in the population, that this is an invasion of who we are."

Her comments came less than a week after President Biden used the term while announcing his vice president would lead diplomatic efforts in halting the "surge" of  migrants.

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"So this new surge we're dealing with now started with the last administration, but it's our responsibility to deal with it humanely and to — and to stop what's happening," Biden said last Wednesday. 

One of his spokespeople also used the term during a recent press gaggle, according to a White House transcript. 

"We've seen migrant surges before," said White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. "In 2014, we saw it, and in 2019.  So, here’s the thing: You know, we have — we have a challenge at the border.  And what is clear from the last four years is that chaos, cruelty and confusion did not enhance security, and it did nothing to fix our immigration system."

Back in 2014, former President Obama similarly made a statement in which he discussed the "surge of unaccompanied children," according to an archived White House release.

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"It's important to recognize two things," he said. "First, the surge of unaccompanied children, and adults with children, are arriving at one sector of the border, and that's the Rio Grande Valley. Second, the issue is not that people are evading our enforcement officials. The issue is that we're apprehending them in large numbers. And we're working to make sure that we have sufficient facilities to detain, house, and process them appropriately, while attending to unaccompanied children with the care and compassion that they deserve while they're in our custody."

Both Obama and Biden, his former vice president, have encountered friendly fire over how their administration handled immigration. Multiple Democratic primary candidates made it an issue in one of the earlier debates involving Biden. 

During at least one debate, Biden used the term "surge" to describe migrants coming to the border. "I would, in fact, make sure that there is, we immediately surge to the border, all those people who are seeking asylum," he said. "They deserve to be heard. That's who we are. We're a nation that says if you want to flee, and you're fleeing oppression, you should come."

More recently, immigration activists decried renaming a school after Obama, referencing his actions on the issue.

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"We feel that Barack Obama did disservice to us. He denied us, and he didn't stop the deportations, the way he promised," Contreras continued. 

"If you're removing the name of Thomas Jefferson, one oppressor, the name of Obama is another oppressor, and our families do not want to see that name," said District 60 school board member Edgar Castellanos.

The White House and Ocasio-Cortez's office did not immediately respond to Fox News' requests for comment.

Fox News' Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.