Democrat lawmakers are doubling down after their chaotic attempt to storm a federal ICE detention facility in New Jersey drew national attention and legal consequences. Following the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and widespread condemnation from law enforcement officials, members of the group are now claiming their actions were justified and accusing the Trump administration of systemic dishonesty regarding immigration enforcement.
Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman, LaMonica McIver, and Rob Menendez Jr. joined Baraka at the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark, where they attempted to enter without authorization during the arrival of a detainee transport bus. The Department of Homeland Security and ICE officers on the ground described the breach as a serious security violation and detained Baraka for trespassing after repeated warnings were ignored.
Rather than backing down, the lawmakers are now defending their actions as legitimate oversight and saying they were responding to what they allege are cover-ups and human rights violations inside the facility.
“They’re lying at all levels — and we’re not going to sit by and accept it,” one of the lawmakers said. “We have a duty to hold them accountable.”
Responding to DHS accusing her of “body slamming” an ICE officer, @RepLaMonica tells @DanaBashCNN, “I honestly do not know how to body slam anyone. There’s no video that supports me body slamming anyone.”@RepMenendez says, “There were a lot of opportunities for DHS, for ICE to… pic.twitter.com/Fhfpq06jHq
— State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) May 11, 2025
Critics, however, say the event was nothing more than a staged spectacle designed to score political points while endangering law enforcement personnel and compromising the integrity of a federal facility. Former ICE Director Tom Homan called the move reckless and accused the lawmakers of putting lives at risk for the sake of a photo op.
Baraka’s defenders argue that the protest was nonviolent and in response to what they claim are unjust immigration policies. But ICE maintains that entering a secure government facility without clearance during active operations not only violates federal law but jeopardizes national security.
The standoff is just the latest flashpoint in a broader clash between Trump’s America First immigration agenda and left-wing sanctuary city advocates who have increasingly resorted to confrontational tactics.
With federal authorities weighing further legal consequences and tensions mounting between local officials and the Trump administration, the confrontation at Delaney Hall has become a national symbol of the deep divide over immigration policy and the lengths some are willing to go to in defiance of federal law.