AOC to meet with several leftist leaders in Latin America

The left organizes in America. A group of eleven Democrats, led by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, will travel to several countries in the region to strengthen their relationship with socialist leaders. The tour is scheduled to begin August 14-21 and would be primarily in three nations governed by the left: Brazil, Chile and Colombia.

Organizers detailed that the week long trip is funded by a purportedly progressive Washington-based think tank, according to Los Angeles Times which had access to a statement.

The intention of the trip is also to establish a political strategy and meet with Gabriel Boric, president of Chile; Lula Da Silva, president of Brazil and Gustavo Petro, president of Colombia. "It’s long past time for a realignment of the United States’ relationship to Latin America," Ocasio-Cortez said in the statement.

"Charting a new course"

In addition, Ocasio-Cortez, who represents a radical socialist wing within the Democratic Party, argued that the United States must rectify the foreign policy it has implemented in the countries of the region. "The U.S. needs to publicly acknowledge the harms we’ve committed through interventionist and extractive policies, and chart a new course based on trust and mutual respect," Ocasio-Cortez said.

Other persons who will make up the travel group include representative Joaquin Castro of Texas, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. Although his office confirmed the trip, he did not respond to questions from the Los Angeles Times . Congressmen Greg Casar, Nydia Velázquez and Maxwell Frost are also expected to be part of the trip, as reported by the newspaper El Pais.