On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem accused three Democratic lawmakers from New Jersey of committing a “felony” during their visit to an Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility.
Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, Robert Menendez, and Ramonica McQuiver visited the Delaney Hall Detention Center on Friday, at which point a confrontation with law enforcement escalated, resulting in the arrest of Newark Mayor Las Baraka.
Noem condemned the incident, stating, “This was not an oversight; it was a felony. It was an attack on individuals who uphold the law. Truly shocking,” during an appearance on Fox News.
Although Noem wasn’t present at the incident, the Democrats claimed he was misrepresenting what occurred.
Watson Coleman shared a video showing people waiting outside while lawmakers entered the facility under security protection.
“We will serve as your eyes and ears and report back to your mayor,” she told Baraka, who was outside the gates.
The New Jersey lawmaker asserted that when they exited, an ICE agent “shoved” her and others.
“I’m allowing DHS to correct the record, as they are being dishonest about this. The scuffle occurred after an ICE agent pushed me away, but we entered the Delaney Hall grounds,” she noted in a post.
“We entered the facility and returned to converse with the mayor, only for ICE agents to start pushing us. Our entry was proper. We had security guards with us because we were authorized to be there,” she added.
Watson Coleman emphasized that, according to legal rights, they can oversee the ICE facility without prior notice, and this was her second such visit this year. However, the Trump administration claimed that the lawmakers “stormed the building.”
DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin hinted that more Democrats could face arrests related to this incident, as GOP Representative Buddy Carter introduced a resolution on Tuesday to strip committee responsibilities from the involved lawmakers.
“We even have body camera footage of some Congress members confronting ICE officers, including incidents involving female officers,” McLaughlin mentioned during a CNN segment on Friday.
Authorities have yet to disclose any video of the alleged altercation.
Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez also criticized the administration’s response to the situation, asserting, “If anyone is breaking the law here, it’s not Congress members; it’s the Department of Homeland Security.”
She pointed specifically to individuals like Tom Homan and Secretary Noem in her remarks, stating, “You lay a hand on someone, whether it’s Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman or the others involved, and then we have issues, because those who break the law are the ones not adhering to it.”
