The Trump administration is currently investigating and contemplating the potential arrest of several Democratic members of Congress who were involved in a confrontation at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility located in New Jersey. This information was confirmed by a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
On Friday, Democratic Representatives from New Jersey, including LaMonica McIver, Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rob Menendez, visited the ICE facility named Delaney Hall to conduct a lawful inspection, a right they hold as elected officials. This facility has recently reopened under the management of the private prison company, GEO Group. The visit reportedly turned chaotic, leading to the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on a trespassing charge, although he has since been released.
On Saturday, DHS accused Rep. McIver of “assaulting an ICE agent” during the incident, sharing a video of the altercation on the social media platform X. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed to Rolling Stone that an investigation is actively ongoing, but did not disclose further details regarding its current status. McLaughlin indicated on CNN that “there will likely be more arrests coming,” noting, “We actually have body camera footage of some of these members of Congress assaulting these ICE enforcement officers, including body-slamming a female ICE officer.”
The 26-second video released on X depicts a tumultuous scene, showcasing McIver attempting to navigate through a crowd of law enforcement officers, reminiscent of a mosh pit. A slowed-down segment of the video appears to show McIver pushing an ICE agent who had halted in front of her, although the footage does not provide evidence of any body-slamming.
In response to the incident, Rep. McIver stated, “Yesterday, at Delaney Hall, I witnessed firsthand the chaos and cruelty that defines the Trump administration’s immigration policy. As we have done before, we went to conduct lawful congressional oversight — to do our jobs and demand answers for our constituents. We were met with contempt, disrespect, and aggression from ICE.” McIver further accused the Trump administration of “roughing up members of Congress,” asserting that the incident is indicative of the president’s “blatant abuses of power.”
Sources within the Trump White House and the Justice Department have revealed to Rolling Stone that they are seriously considering the prospect of arresting and criminally charging specific Democratic elected officials, particularly mayors from sanctuary cities who have opposed Trump’s stringent immigration policies. According to one official, “The president thinks it’s important that we do not treat anyone, even Democrat politicians, as if they are above the law.”
Despite the administration's aggressive stance, many long-time Democratic operatives and even some liberal lawmakers believe that Trump’s initiative to arrest elected Democrats will backfire significantly. One Democratic lawmaker articulated to Rolling Stone that if federal authorities pursued him or his colleagues for protesting, it could potentially enhance their grassroots fundraising efforts and elevate their national profile among liberal voters.
The confrontation on Friday took place at the Delaney Hall Detention Center, a facility with a capacity of 1,000 beds managed by GEO Group, which has been under scrutiny from immigrant rights groups. The city of Newark had previously filed a lawsuit in April to halt occupancy and construction, seeking to inspect the facility. Mayor Baraka argued that the facility should not operate due to issues concerning building permits.
In February, ICE awarded GEO Group a 15-year contract to manage the facility, estimated to be worth approximately $1 billion. Notably, a GEO Group subsidiary contributed $1.3 million to Super PACs supporting Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, along with a $500,000 donation to Trump’s inaugural committee in December.
In a press release, McLaughlin stated, “Members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond a bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and detainees at risk. Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities. Had these members requested a tour, we would have facilitated a tour of the facility.” She reiterated this sentiment on CNN, asserting, “Just because you are a member of Congress does not mean you can break the law, trespass, put law enforcement at risk, and storm the detention facility.”
In response to the accusations, Rep. Watson Coleman clarified, “Contrary to a press statement put out by DHS, we did not ‘storm’ the detention center. The author of that press release was so unfamiliar with the facts on the ground that they didn’t even correctly count the number of Representatives present. We were exercising our legal oversight function as we have done at the Elizabeth Detention Center without incident.”
