Alina Haba, a lawyer from the New Jersey area, is looking into an incident involving alleged trespassing by Democrats at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.
Haba announced via a post that her office was “conducting a thorough investigation” into the events that took place on Friday at Delaney Hall ICE Detention Center.
“My office is working with federal partners to conduct a thorough investigation into what happened in Delaney Hall on Friday,” Haba remarked. “We will review all available evidence carefully before deciding on the next steps. I take these matters seriously.”
Earlier reports indicated that Haba stated Baraka would face consequences for his actions, including a potential trespassing conviction and being barred from ICE facilities.
Baraka was with other Democrats, such as Raymonica McQuiver (D-NJ), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), and Robert Menendez (D-NJ), as they conducted federal oversight at the detention center.
Following his release, Baraka asserted that he “did nothing wrong,” according to News12 New Jersey.
Democrats like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) criticized the Trump administration’s arrest of Baraka, arguing that it was an overreach, while Vice President JD Vance countered that being a member of Congress does not exempt anyone from the law.
“As Khanna himself noted, being in Congress doesn’t give you a license to step outside the law,” Vance stated in a post.
In another post, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shared footage in response to Watson Coleman, who claimed in an interview that “nothing happened” and that Congressional Democrats were merely escorted out.
The DHS video showed Democrats allegedly pushing against law enforcement officials.
On Friday, DHS also released mug shots and criminal histories of detainees at Delaney Hall, highlighting that “a group of protesters” tried to block a detainee bus, resulting in two Congress members allegedly breaking into the facility.
“When council members rush into detention facilities, it’s not just an odd political stunt; it puts our law enforcement and detainees at risk,” stated DHS Deputy Chief Tricia McLaughlin. “Congress members are not above the law and cannot illegally enter these facilities. If they were seeking tours, they should have requested them properly.”
On Monday, around 50 clergy members gathered outside the detention center, holding a vigil and offering “prayers for prisoners.” Some protestors declared they would remain there until a change occurred, as reported by Fox News.
One protester mentioned that they would stay until society acknowledged the unacceptable nature of the situation.
