Department of Homeland Security Alleges Physical Assault by Congressional Democrats at Newark ICE Facility<\/p>\n
On Friday, Democratic members of Congress and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka forcefully entered the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detention Facility at Delaney Hall in Newark, New Jersey, in what federal authorities describe as an unauthorized confrontation. According to Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), during the incursion several lawmakers engaged in physical altercations with ICE personnel, including an incident involving the bodyslamming of a female officer.<\/p>\n
Incident Overview
\nAt approximately midday on May 9, 2025, a group of Democratic Representatives\u2014LaMonica McIver, Bob Menendez, and Bonnie Watson Coleman\u2014accompanied by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, approached the secure perimeter of Delaney Hall. Video recordings obtained from ICE body-worn cameras show the lawmakers and Baraka pressing past facility signage and staff attempting to maintain order.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\n Once inside the secure zone, the group engaged in a heated exchange with on-duty ICE officers. As tensions escalated, McIver and other participants physically shoved against agents, and at one point McIver is seen forcefully pushing a female ICE agent to the ground. According to DHS, this constituted an assault on a federal officer.<\/p>\n DHS Response When pressed by CNN anchors about the likelihood of arresting sitting members of Congress, McLaughlin replied, \u201cThat is definitely on the table. Any individual, regardless of office, who commits assault on a federal officer is subject to arrest.\u201d She added that multiple arrests are expected since Mayor Baraka\u2019s detention on charges of federal trespass \u201clast night,\u201d and that law enforcement continues to review video evidence to identify additional participants.<\/p>\n
\nIn a televised interview on CNN, Tricia McLaughlin\u2014DHS\u2019s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs\u2014characterized the lawmakers\u2019 behavior as both unauthorized and unlawful. McLaughlin asserted that the Democratic members of Congress had \u201cbreached federal property without permission and then assaulted our enforcement officers.\u201d She emphasized that the department would pursue all available legal avenues, stating, \u201cWe have body-worn camera footage documenting the assault. Those responsible will be held accountable under federal law.\u201d<\/p>\n