Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) commented on the potential for arresting a Democratic colleague during a situation at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility, calling the threat “very dramatic” and suggesting it would only be appropriate if a law was actually broken.
During a CBS News interview on “Face the Nation,” McCaul was questioned about the impending arrests of three members of Congress who had gathered outside the federal detention center in Newark, New Jersey, on Friday while trying to gain access to it.
“Should I arrest or even threaten to arrest members of Congress?” host Ed O’Keefe posed.
“That’s clearly a very dramatic move. If they were complicit in the crime, then yes,” McCaul replied. “I don’t know all the facts behind this.”
He also noted that Congress members have the right to visit federal detention facilities but expressed uncertainty about whether the New Jersey Democrats—Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and Lamonica McKeeber—were interfering with law enforcement.
“If they were just visiting the detention center, I’ve done that myself frequently. But if they’re meddling with law enforcement, that’s a different issue,” McCaul added.
“In this country, we can protest peacefully, but you can’t conspire with gang violence against law enforcement, which I think might be the crux of the issue,” he continued.
Following Mayor Ras Baraka’s (D) arrest at the Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicated to CNN that further arrests might occur.
She mentioned that it was possible three Democrats could be arrested for allegedly encouraging the crowd outside the facility.
“This is an ongoing investigation, and it’s definitely on the table,” McLaughlin stated when asked about the arrests of legislative members.
She went on to say, “We actually have body camera footage of some of these Congress members confronting ICE agents, such as defending female officers, and we’ll share that with the public soon.”
Watson Coleman disputed these allegations, asserting, “I’m going to allow DHS to rectify the record, as they’re lying. This confrontation occurred after an ICE agent physically shoved me, and I then entered the Delaney Hall grounds.”
“That’s not how we gained access to the facility. We have the legal right to be there, and we were accompanied by security personnel,” she added.
A representative from New Jersey emphasized that Congress members possess the legal authority to oversee DHS facilities without prior notice, mentioning that she has visited the site twice this year.
“The idea that my colleagues and I threatened an armed federal officer is absurd. DHS is being dishonest because they know their agents crossed the line,” Watson Coleman stated.
