I’m so old that I can remember when Democrats believed that charging a federal facility and assaulting law enforcement officials qualified as an “insurrection.” Bad times, bad times …
Now suddenly, it comes down to the definition of “storming.” Er …
BREAKING: Multiple Democrat members of Congress—and the Democrat Mayor of Newark—have been arrested for criminal trespassing at the ICE facility in Newark, New Jersey.
Sure looks like an insurrection.
Maybe even assault on a federal officer.pic.twitter.com/JeVBPfgti0— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) May 9, 2025
Axios reports that House Democrats broke into the ICE facility, touched off a fight with federal law enforcement officers, and got themselves arrested along with Newark mayor Ras Baraka:
The Department of Homeland Security is alleging the lawmakers “stormed” the facility, a characterization the lawmakers’ offices are disputing.
- Footage of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka’s arrest obtained by Axios shows a clash between law enforcement and a group of demonstrators including Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) and LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.).
The Democrats claimed that they were just doing their jobs:
- “I don’t think that’s a fair characterization. They’re here doing their jobs,” said Hanna Rumsey, a spokesperson for McIver, who declined to go into further detail on how the lawmakers gained access to the facility.
- Watson Coleman’s office told Axios they “arrived at Delaney Hall today at about 1PM to exercise their oversight authority as prescribed by law. After a period of explaining the law to the officials at the site they were escorted in.”
Well, we report, you decide. Does it look like the Democrats and their supporters merely showed up and asked for access to this facility? One that houses some dangerous detainees with MS-13 and Tren de Aragua connections?
Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver (red jacket) is literally throwing hands at ICE agents outside their detention facility for illegals in Newark.pic.twitter.com/LPsPsSdwas
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 9, 2025
🚨DEMOCRAT MAYOR OF NEWARK, NJ HAS BEEN ARRESTED AFTER STORMING AN ICE FACILITY pic.twitter.com/c1Rsz2Dyx6
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) May 9, 2025
Fox’s Will Cain interviewed DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, who explained that the gates had opened to allow a bus of detainees into the facility. That’s when the Democrats broke through the line and attempted to force entry as officers attempted the normal intake of detainees. “This is not congressional oversight,” McLaughlin explained. It might be obstruction of official business, which is an actual crime, not to mention assault and battery:
.@TriciaOhio on the Dems who broke into Delaney Detention Hall:
“A civilian, if they try to break into a detention facility, they will be physically restrained. Members of Congress also have to follow the law.” pic.twitter.com/jqCBGRgsAY— The Will Cain Show (@WillCainShow_) May 9, 2025
UA Attorney Alina Habba also argued that this was not any sort of legitimate oversight, but instead a protest that Baraka and the House Democrats purposely escalated:
🚨U.S. ATTORNEY ALINA HABBA UNLOADS ON FOX NEWS AFTER NEWARK MAYOR ARREST: “HE WILL BE CHARGED.”
“It’s very simple. We will not stand for anybody getting in the way of getting rid of criminals… No one is above the law.”
Baraka stormed an ICE facility. Habba just made it… pic.twitter.com/2mfuF8wa7G
— MaximumPower (@MaxPowerGamer) May 9, 2025
“The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon,” she wrote. “He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.”
Habba then joined The Story on Fox News, where host Martha MacCallum noted that the lawmakers at the facility claimed that Baraka was outside the fencing around the facility and not trespassing, and that the lawmakers were “intimidated” by federal officials.
“I’m gonna tell the truth and correct them,” Habba said. “Congresspeople have the right to investigate, and we allowed them in, number one. Number two, the mayor was actually inside the facility, was warned, was asked to leave several times. More than once, [he] refused to leave, was put under arrest inside the facility, walked out when he was told he was under arrest, and then was cuffed. That is what happened.”
This is exactly correct. Members of Congress can exercise oversight by making the proper arrangements for access to facilities, especially law-enforcement facilities housing potentially dangerous detainees. Baraka, by the way, has no authority for oversight on federal facilities, although DHS would have responsibly arranged that if Baraka had responsibly requested it. Instead, Baraka and the House Democrats decided to grandstand and attract a crowd of activists, and led them into an assault on federal law enforcement just to score some political points … on an issue where 80% of the American electorate opposes their position.
I’d bet that Habba and DHS end up dropping the case, but they shouldn’t. This kind of mob action is dangerous and encourages violent actors to stage their own assaults, and those will not end well for anyone.
And all of this was for … what, again?
FWIW –
Dems eventually took a tour of the conditions of the detention center and….
“People are okay. They’re safe. It’s clean. They’re feeding them. ICE is out of control.” – Rep Bonnie WATSON COLEMAN
— Aishah Hasnie (@aishahhasnie) May 9, 2025
