Homeland Security Dept. accuses lawmakers of ‘storming’ an ICE facility despite oversight laws saying they could be there
CNN
The battle over immigration came to a dramatic head Friday afternoon when Democratic lawmakers faced off with Homeland Security Department officers as they tried to visit a Newark, New Jersey Immigration Customs and Enforcement facility, despite Congress’ oversight authority of federal facilities.
The battle over immigration came to a dramatic head Friday afternoon when Democratic lawmakers faced off with Homeland Security Department officers as they tried to visit a Newark, New Jersey, Immigration Customs and Enforcement facility, despite Congress’ oversight authority of federal facilities. Three members of Congress from New Jersey, along with protesters, faced off with Department of Homeland Security officers on Friday after visiting a local ICE detention facility. The incident started as officers attempted to arrest the mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, after he tried to join the lawmakers inside the facility. As tensions grew, so did the physicality of the situation, with officers and lawmakers pushing and shouting at one another before Baraka, a Democrat, was ultimately detained for several hours. He was released Friday evening. Under the annual appropriations act, which allocates funds for federal agencies, lawmakers are permitted to enter “any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security used to detain or otherwise house aliens.” The law is also clear that members of Congress are not required “to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility” in their oversight capacity. A spokesperson for Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, one of the lawmakers who was at the facility Friday, said the group had been allowed to enter and inspect the center sometime between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. After the incident, a DHS official suggested charges could be brought against the members of Congress and accused them of breaking into the facility, despite their legal authority to conduct oversight of the department.
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