The illegal immigrant, who once served as an aide to DN.Y.’s Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, reportedly self-reported to Colombia and praised the South American country of “freedom of movement” after working in Congress despite being illegally in the country.
Diego de Lavega was born in Ecuador and moved to the US in 2001 as a 7-year-old on a visa for a visitor he overstayed, an immigrant insider reported.
The news raises troubling questions about his employment status for Queens-based lawmakers.
“It’s bittersweet. I didn’t leave the country from 23 to 7 to 30,” de Lavega told Immigration Insider. “Now I can’t go back to the US. It feels like an exile. It’s a very lasting move. But I’m sure my wife and I have made the right decision. And after a while it was a real joy to be here.
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Diego De La Vega, former aide to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of Dn.Y., has been self-reported to Colombia, according to news reports. (Lionkedin; Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
“It feels surreal to not become illegal anymore. I don’t live in the shadows or worry about paperwork all the time,” he added. “That freedom of movement is incredibly satisfying.”
Delavega became politically active after only five votes short of laws in the Senate after the failed dream of 2010.
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After working for the immigration rights group, he served as communications director for Robert Rodriguez, a member of the New York State Legislature, currently president and CEO of New York State Door Authority, according to the LinkedIn page.
In 2021, Delavega was hired for Ocasio-Cortez’s reelection campaign, and eventually became her assistant communications director.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Dn.Y., hears testimony during a House Committee on Surveillance and Government Reform Trials with the Sanctuary Mayor at Capitol Hill, Washington, on March 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
“Diego is great,” Ocasio-Cortez told the news outlet. “We love him.”
Delavega worked for Ocasio-Cortez despite not being a US citizen. DACA recipients are prohibited from paying positions in the Congress office.
Fox News Digital contacted the lawmaker’s office.
“We’ve always been honest with voters in New York City,” De Lavega said of his work with Ocasio-Cortez. “We didn’t make fun of it or tell them what they wanted to hear. We were honest with them. We listened and explained that Alexandria was fighting for reform, but Republicans were blocking it.”
He noted that he was unhappy with how the immigration movement was progressing.
“No matter who is in the White House, protection will disappear. The strategy hasn’t been adapted to the modern era,” he said. “Biden had a triple–the house, the Senate, the White House, but we dropped the ball.”
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As a child, De Lavega said she lived in fear, but in New York there is a good childhood. He said that while he may not be able to return to the US “for many years,” he said, “I feel fulfilled to be home.”
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