DHS Considers Arrests of Congressional Democrats Following Detention Center Incident
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggested on Saturday that members of the House of Representatives involved in a contentious event at a New Jersey Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility could face arrest. Tricia McLaughlin, speaking to CNN, stated that body camera footage allegedly shows members of Congress assaulting ICE officers, including a claim of body-slamming a female officer.
The comments came after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was charged with trespassing during a demonstration at the Delaney Hall detention center on Friday, where Congress members Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver were conducting oversight of ICE operations. McLaughlin implied that arrests of congressional members remain a possibility as the investigation is ongoing.
Menendez characterized the treatment from ICE as intimidating, expressing shock over the aggression shown during their visit, while McIver referred to it as blatant abuse of power from the Trump administration. In their defense, none of the lawmakers reported witnessing violence against ICE personnel during the encounter.
Watson Coleman strongly refuted McLaughlin’s accusations, describing them as "absurd" and asserting that the DHS was misrepresenting the events to defend its actions. “Their lies are still lies,” she asserted, emphasizing their resolve against intimidation.
Mayor Baraka, appearing on CNN, dismissed the DHS claims as “ridiculous,” highlighting the improbability of physical confrontations involving an 80-year-old woman and demanding evidence to support the department’s assertions. The tensions from this incident underscore the ongoing clash between government officials and ICE amidst broader immigration debates.
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