The Trump administration indicated on Saturday that Democratic lawmakers from New Jersey, who were involved in a confrontation at a federal immigration detention center the previous day, may also face criminal consequences. This clash resulted in the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated during an interview with CNN that “there will likely be more arrests coming.”
“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,” McLaughlin noted.
She later shared a video showcasing the chaotic scene that unfolded outside the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Newark.
In her post on X, she emphasized, “We will not tolerate assault against our ICE law enforcement agents. By members of Congress or anyone else.”
Alina Habba, the leading federal prosecutor in New Jersey, declined to provide specifics about potential additional charges in an interview on Finance Newso News, stating, “I’m not going to get into the weeds about other things that may or may not be coming.”
The lawmakers present during the incident—Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver—strongly contest DHS’s portrayal of the events.
Menendez accused the Trump administration of disseminating “lies and misinformation,” asserting that as Members of Congress, they have the legal authority to oversee any DHS facility without prior notice.
“This is like nothing I’ve ever seen before, and I am shocked and disturbed that something like this happened in our community,” Menendez remarked in a statement on Friday.
McLaughlin, however, dismissed the Democrats’ actions as a “bizarre political stunt,” asserting that “Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities.”
She added that the situation is “evolving,” leaving room for further legal actions.
Coleman recounted on X that the altercation occurred after they had entered the facility, stating, “We entered the facility, came BACK OUT to speak to the Mayor, and then ICE agents began shoving us.”
Axios was the first to report that DHS was contemplating additional arrests, a claim later corroborated by Finance Newso.
Baraka, who is actively campaigning for the New Jersey governorship, was released without bond on Friday evening after facing a charge of trespassing in Newark federal court.
Habba, the interim U.S. Attorney in New Jersey, accused Baraka of “trespass and [ignoring] multiple warnings” from DHS officials to vacate the ICE detention center.
