Tensions escalate: DHS may arrest Congress members over ICE incident
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The DHS is considering arresting three House Democrats after a confrontation at a New Jersey ICE facility, raising constitutional questions about congressional oversight and executive overreach.
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Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., speaks with an officer demanding she be let into the ICE Detention office after the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, Friday, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J. (AP)
The Trump administration's ICE arrests controversy escalated Saturday after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it is actively considering the arrest of three House Democrats involved in a confrontation with ICE officers at the Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey.
The three lawmakers, Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver, all from New Jersey, were part of an unannounced oversight visit to the facility earlier this week. The clash occurred during their attempt to inspect conditions and investigate the recent arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was reportedly detained for alleged trespassing during a protest outside the same facility.
According to DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin, the department is reviewing body camera footage that allegedly shows the members of Congress assaulting officers, including an incident where one Congresswoman allegedly “body slammed” a female ICE agent.
“There will likely be more arrests coming,” McLaughlin said in an interview for CNN. She later confirmed to Axios that “arrests are definitely on the table.”
The footage has not been publicly released but has reportedly been shown to members of Congress and staff. DHS maintains that the lawmakers entered the facility without proper notice and that their actions violated both protocol and personnel safety.
Democrats deny allegations, call arrest threat retaliatory
The accused House Democrats strongly deny the allegations, calling the DHS arrest threat a political stunt designed to intimidate elected officials performing their constitutionally protected congressional oversight rights.
A spokesperson for Watson Coleman said, “We’re honestly surprised they released this footage given that it so wholly contradicts their claims. Nobody was 'body slammed,' nobody 'assaulted' any agents, and this footage confirms that.”
Rep. McIver added during a press conference, “I was assaulted by multiple ICE officers while regional directors of ICE watched it happen. Nobody apologized or acknowledged what occurred.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries condemned the incident, stating, “The masked agents who physically accosted two Congresswomen must be identified immediately.”
Oversight or overreach? The debate grows over Congressional rights
The clash stems from broader tensions between the Trump administration and Democratic officials over immigration enforcement and ICE facility oversight. The ICE officer confrontation has raised serious legal questions about the limits of executive power when dealing with members of Congress.
Democratic lawmakers argue the arrest threat is a retaliatory overreach and violates the legal protections granted to them while performing official duties. DHS counters that had the visit followed protocol, a tour could have been arranged without incident.
Mayor Ras Baraka’s earlier protest focused on the reopening of Delaney Hall to detain migrants, citing unsafe conditions and the lack of valid operational permits at the privately run facility. Following Baraka’s arrest and the subsequent altercation involving Democratic lawmakers, concerns have deepened over the Trump administration’s increasingly aggressive tactics toward public officials who oppose its immigration policies.
Watson Coleman, after touring the facility, acknowledged that “the conditions aren’t bad … it’s clean, they’re feeding them,” but emphasized that the visit was part of their legislative oversight responsibilities.
With the administration now signaling potential Trump administration ICE arrests of sitting members of Congress, legal experts and lawmakers warn that the country could be entering uncharted constitutional territory.
