A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) told CNN on Saturday that arresting Democratic lawmakers who were outside a Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Newark, New Jersey on Friday is ‘definitely on the table’.
On Friday, federal agents arrested Newark Democratic Mayor Ras Baraka at the Delaney Hall detention center. Republicans have been falsely claiming that Baraka “stormed” the facility, a claim Baraka and video evidence dispute.
Three New Jersey Democrats — Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and LaMonica McIver — were at Delaney Hall for a tour of the new Trump administration ICE facility.
Members of Congress have a legal right to make unannounced visits to ICE detention facilities for oversight purposes.
The lawmakers were caught up the chaos as federal agents arrested Baraka.
In an interview on Saturday, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN that arresting those Democratic lawmakers is “on the table.”
“We should let viewers know there will likely be more arrests coming,” McLaughlin said.
She also claimed that officials have body camera footage which showed Democratic lawmakers “body slammed” an ICE officer, and that ICE would be released that footage “very shortly.”
However, reporters on the scene say they never witnesses lawmakers body slamming ICE officers, according to Politico.
“Are you suggesting that members of Congress will be arrested who were there yesterday?” host Victor Blackwell asked.
“This is an ongoing investigation and that is definitely on the table,” McLaughlin responded.
