DHS Considers Arrests After ICE Facility Incident
Department of Homeland Security officials indicated Saturday that additional arrests remain “on the table” following a confrontation between federal agents and New Jersey House Democrats at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility that already resulted in the arrest of Newark’s mayor.
The escalating situation stems from Friday’s incident at Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, where three Democratic members of Congress were involved in what officials described as “storming” the facility, while the lawmakers maintain they were conducting legitimate congressional oversight.
Federal Officials Threaten Further Action
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a CNN interview Saturday that “there will likely be more arrests coming” and confirmed that arresting the lawmakers was “definitely on the table,” according to Axios.
“If it was a typical U.S. citizen, and they tried to storm into a detention facility that’s housing dangerous criminals or any person at all, they would be arrested,” McLaughlin told Fox News. “Just because you are a member of Congress or just because you’re a public official, does not mean you are above the law.”
Body Camera Footage Released
The Department released body camera footage that they claim shows the legislators pushing past federal officers. McLaughlin alleged that the video shows “members of Congress assaulting these ICE enforcement officers, including body slamming a female ICE officer,” though the lawmakers strongly dispute this characterization of events.
In one clip released by DHS, Representative LaMonica McIver can reportedly be seen pushing against federal agents while attempting to follow Newark Mayor Ras Baraka after he was placed in handcuffs, according to CNN.
Lawmakers Dispute Characterization
The three Democratic representatives—Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver—have vehemently denied the allegations that they “stormed” the facility or assaulted any officers. Instead, they maintain they were exercising their legal congressional oversight authority, which allows them to inspect immigration detention facilities without prior notice.
A spokesperson for Watson Coleman stated they had “reviewed the body camera footage” and that it proves “ICE agents put their hands on Members of Congress” and “contradicts [DHS] claims.” The spokesperson added, “Nobody was ‘body slammed,’ nobody ‘assaulted’ any agents, and this footage confirms that.”
Congressional Oversight Rights
At issue is a provision in federal law that grants members of Congress authority to inspect immigration detention facilities. The lawmakers cite the annual appropriations act, which states that members of Congress can enter “any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security used to detain or otherwise house aliens” without providing prior notice.
McIver claimed at a press conference Friday that she was “assaulted by multiple ICE officers while regional directors of ICE watched it happen,” directly contradicting the DHS account of events. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has issued a statement supporting the members, demanding that “the masked agents who physically accosted two Congresswomen must be identified immediately.”
Mayor Released After Arrest
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested during the incident and charged with trespassing, was released Friday evening after spending approximately five hours in custody. Upon his release, Baraka maintained his innocence, stating, “I didn’t do anything wrong. This should not have happened today, but it did.”
The mayor’s arrest has further inflamed political tensions, with his gubernatorial campaign claiming he was specifically targeted. “They didn’t arrest anyone else. They didn’t ask anyone else to leave. They wanted to make an example out of the mayor,” Linda Baraka, the mayor’s wife, told reporters.
