Democratic Congress Members Storm Delaney Hall ICE Facility in Newark for Oversight, Prompting White House Criticism

Several Democratic members of Congress, including Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman, and LaMonica McIver, forcibly entered an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Newark, New Jersey, known as Delaney Hall. The lawmakers, accompanied by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was later arrested for trespassing, entered the facility to conduct what they described as an 'oversight visit.' The group entered the facility as an ICE bus was allowed in, bypassing security. The White House criticized the lawmakers' actions, with spokesman Kush Desai stating that the Democrats were 'crossing the line between meaningless political street theater and outright breaking the law' by prioritizing the welfare of illegal aliens over American citizens. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) condemned the incident as a 'bizarre political stunt' that compromised the safety of law enforcement agents and detainees. The lawmakers and Mayor Baraka argued that their actions were necessary to perform their constitutional duty of oversight, claiming that ICE's response was aggressive and aimed at preventing them from fulfilling their responsibilities. Activists have also demanded entry into the facility, alleging that the GEO Group, the building's new owner, is unlawfully preventing inspections and has violated construction codes.