DHS warns Congress member arrests ‘on the table’ after tense ice facility standoff

There was a tense standoff outside the Delaney Hall Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Newark, New Jersey. It led to the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and a later warning from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that arrests of three Democratic members of Congress could happen.

The incident took place on Friday and involved Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver, who were there when the mayor was arrested. The three representatives were at Delaney Hall for a scheduled visit to oversee the facility, which they are allowed to do under federal law, as reported by NY Times. The building, run by private prison company GEO Group, recently opened and is meant to hold as many as 1,000 migrants.

While the representatives were touring the facility, Mayor Baraka arrived, and the situation quickly became heated. Reuters reported that Federal agents arrested Baraka outside the building, which led to a physical struggle involving the representatives and ICE agents. There are different stories about what happened. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin claimed that the members of Congress attacked ICE officers, including an accusation that one member “body slammed” a female officer.

DHS claiming assault from members of Congress

McLaughlin said body camera footage would be released to back up these claims. However, the congress members said they were roughly handled and assaulted by agents during the mayor’s arrest. One video showed an officer pushing Representative McIver. Videos shared by different people also showed conflicting views of what DHS claims took place.

Representative Watson Coleman said, “There was just consistently, and across the board, especially with the folks in uniform, no respect for who we were and no respect for the mayor,” she said Saturday on MSNBC. After the incident, the DHS warned that more arrests, including those of the three congress members, could happen, depending on the ongoing investigation.

The acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, Alina Habba, said Mayor Baraka trespassed and ignored multiple warnings to leave the property. Mayor Baraka says he did nothing wrong, stating that he was invited onto the property and left when told to. He argued that the DHS made the situation worse, leading to his arrest.

He was released after a few hours in custody and said he plans to return to Delaney Hall. His administration is suing GEO Group, saying the facility does not have the required permits and inspections, a claim that both federal officials and GEO Group deny.