A trio of House Democrats from New Jersey, who decided to check out an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, ended up in a bit of a scuffle with federal agents on Friday. The Department of Homeland Security is now hinting that Rep. LaMonica McIver, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rep. Robert Menendez might face arrest for their actions. The lawmakers, along with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, made their way to the Delaney Hall Detention Center, where things quickly got out of hand. Baraka was actually arrested and charged with trespassing. According to authorities, an ICE agent was even assaulted during the chaos, and the whole thing was caught on camera.
“If it was just your average Joe trying to barge into a detention facility holding dangerous criminals, they would definitely be looking at some handcuffs,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin during an interview with “Fox News Live.” “Being a member of Congress or a public official doesn’t give you a free pass to break the law.” The DHS is still investigating the incident and considering making arrests.
Apparently, there’s body camera footage showing the Congress members getting physical with ICE officers, with one report even claiming a female ICE officer was body-slammed. Talk about drama! The group of protesters, including the lawmakers, stormed the facility as a bus full of detainees was trying to enter. Things escalated pretty quickly, with McIver claiming on X that she was shoved and Watson Coleman was manhandled by ICE.
During a press conference, McIver went on to say that she was assaulted by multiple ICE officers while higher-ups just stood by and watched. The DHS shared footage on X showing McIver charging through law enforcement near the gate, seemingly unprovoked.
Watson Coleman also accused an ICE agent of shoving her, and she posted on X that she, McIver, and Menendez were at the facility to exercise their oversight authority as members of Congress. The DHS confirmed that the facility housed some pretty serious offenders like murderers, terrorists, child rapists, and members of the MS-13 gang.
Baraka, who was released after five hours, was charged with trespassing at the facility. His attorneys argued that he was just exercising his First Amendment rights and acted calmly throughout the whole ordeal. They also criticized U.S. Attorney Alina Habba for making what they called inaccurate and inflammatory statements.
In a statement on X, Habba accused Baraka of trespassing and disregarding multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations. She made it clear that no one is above the law and that Baraka’s actions wouldn’t go unpunished. Baraka’s attorneys fired back, accusing Habba of falsely accusing the mayor and improperly claiming he was guilty of trespassing.
At this point, it’s a bit of a he-said-she-said situation, with both sides sticking to their guns. The DHS has referred inquiries to the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, who has yet to comment. This whole mess is far from over, and it’ll be interesting to see how things play out in the coming days.
Maybe it’s just me, but this whole situation seems like it’s turning into a real circus. Not really sure why this matters, but it’s definitely making headlines. Let’s see where this crazy rollercoaster ride takes us next.
