Mayor Zohran Mamdani and lefty Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez sparked online backlash after urging illegal immigrants to sign up for free Big Apple childcare in a cringey Spanish-language ad.
The democratic socialists awkwardly stumbled through their lines in Spanish in a promo shared on social media Tuesday, alerting migrant parents — including those in the country illegally — of the looming deadline to enroll in free 3-K and Pre-K childcare.
“Any New York City parent, regardless of your occupation, income or immigration status is eligible to sign their child up,” Ocasio-Cortez said, noting that applications are available in more than 200 languages.
“We’ve made the application process easy, no matter who you are. Because no family should be shut out from our programs just because of the language they speak.”
The congresswoman, who reps the Bronx and Queens, was brought into the video by the mayor for help with his Spanish.
“My Spanish is… no bueno. But the fight for universal childcare? Muy bueno,” Mamdani captioned the nearly three-minute clip on X.
“So I brought a friend to help me tell you why signing up for 3-K and Pre-K this week matters. Let’s get them enrolled.”
In the video, Hizzoner reminds parents to register their kids by Friday before grinning as Ocasio-Cortez jumps into frame, continuing in Spanish and occasionally correcting his pronunciation while breaking down the city’s program.
The wince-worthy clip ends with the duo high-fiving and shouting, “Muy bien!”
Critics slammed the video – with one likening it to a “Saturday Night Live” sketch – arguing it prioritized immigrants over American citizens.
“Hey AOC imagine you put this much effort into ideas to help working Americans earn more money,” one user raged, while another fumed “Is this why there needs to be a tax increase?”
Others panned the pair for their Spanish delivery.
“AoC’s ‘Spanish’ sounds worse than the worst dub,” a digital naysayer added.
“Sounds just like hearing a white liberal woman say GRACIASSS when a waiter brings her food at a Mexican restaurant.”
