Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said arresting Democratic lawmakers, who were conducting an oversight visit at an immigration detention facility in New Jersey on Friday, “is definitely on the table.”
“There were multiple people arrested. And, Victor, I think that we should let viewers know there will likely be more arrests coming,” McLaughlin told CNN’s Victor Blackwell on Saturday’s episode of “First Of All.”
Mayor Ras Baraka was among those arrested protesting the reopening of Delaney Hall, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark. New Jersey’s interim U.S. Attorney and counselor to President Donald Trump, Alina Habba, said Baraka “ignored multiple warnings” from DHS officials.
The Mayor was released later that day and told CNN’s “The Source” “Not a single person, not an officer from ICE, not any of the security guards, nobody told me to leave that place.”
“Somebody from Homeland Security came in the end and began to escalate the situation, and we wound up being where we are today,” Baraka said.
Multiple outlets reported that New Jersey Democratic Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver were also at Delaney Hall on Friday to conduct an oversight visit. However McLaughlin told the CNN host the Democrats were trespassing.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson accused New Jersey Democratic Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (Left), Rob Menendez (Center) and LaMonica McIver (Right) of trespassing and assaulting federal agents.
“DHS is more than accommodating,” McLaughlin said. “But just because you’re a member of Congress does not mean you can break the law, trespass, put law enforcement at risk and storm the detention facility.”
When asked for clarification by Blackwell if members of Congress would be arrested, McLaughlin replied it was “an ongoing investigation, and that is definitely on the table.”
However, according to Menendez, the three Democrats did not break any laws and “members of Congress have a legal right to enter any DHS detention facility to conduct oversight without prior notice.”
No matter what this Administration tells the American people, the law is very clear: Members of Congress have a legal right to enter any DHS detention facility to conduct oversight without prior notice – something I’ve done twice this year without issue. pic.twitter.com/YMY2r9DXtS
— Rep. Rob Menendez (@RepMenendez) May 10, 2025
McLaughlin went on to tell Blackwell that DHS was reviewing body camera footage from the protest which allegedly showed Congress members “assaulting” immigration officials.
“We actually have body camera footage of some of these members of Congress assaulting our ICE enforcement officers, including body slamming a female ICE officer,” McLaughlin said, calling the allegations “disgusting.”
Watson Coleman was asked about McLaughlin’s assertion that they “put law enforcement at risk” by WNYC’s “Weekend Edition” host David Furst.
“She’s lying, but lying is something this administration does,” Watson Coleman said. “Lying and allowing people to abuse the rights of individuals and to deny due process and to be disrespectful of anyone they don’t like.”
