In yet another episode where rhetoric clashes with reality, several New Jersey Democrats found themselves exposed over the weekend after bodycam footage sharply contradicted their claims of being "roughed up" by ICE agents during a chaotic intrusion at the Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark.
The incident occurred Friday when Reps. Bonnie Watson-Coleman, LaMonica McIver, Rob Menendez, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka forced their way through a secured gate as it opened to admit a vehicle transporting detainees. The lawmakers insisted they had been mishandled by agents, casting themselves as victims of excessive force while asserting a right to "oversight" — despite having ignored established entry protocols and, more importantly, the law.
NEW: DHS has provided @FoxNews ICE bodycam video from the altercation at the Delaney Hall detention facility yesterday. They say the video clearly shows @RepLaMonica (red clothing) shoving/elbowing her way past a DHS agent to get past the gate and into the property, followed… pic.twitter.com/GOAKm6U80W
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) May 10, 2025
The Department of Homeland Security wasted no time releasing the receipts. ICE bodycam footage, reviewed and reported by Fox News’ Bill Melugin, tells a starkly different story: Rep. McIver, clad in red, is clearly seen shoving her way past a DHS agent, elbowing through to breach the facility’s perimeter. Behind her, Rep. Menendez follows suit, while McIver yells directly in the faces of agents attempting to maintain order.
This wasn’t peaceful oversight — it was a political stunt that teetered into unlawful territory. Even more egregious, Baraka — who is actively running for New Jersey governor — was among those who exploited the moment for theatrics. Just days prior, the mayor had a city-owned bulldozer parked in front of the facility’s gate in a deliberate act of obstruction.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, appearing on Fox & Friends: Weekend, applauded the agents for maintaining discipline under pressure. “I’d like very much for someone to say thank you,” he said, highlighting the thankless nature of enforcing immigration law amid mounting hostility — even from elected officials.
"This type of grandstanding doesn't help anyone": Acting @ICEgov Director Todd Lyons slams protesters for putting agents and facility workers at risk pic.twitter.com/c3Zf7rdpC0
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) May 10, 2025
Despite their protests, the Democrats’ actions amounted to storming federal property while detainees — many with serious criminal records — were in transport. The timing wasn’t just reckless, it was dangerous.
The political theater didn’t stop at the fence line. After the clash, Democrats attempted to seize the narrative, accusing ICE of excessive force. But the release of unfiltered, firsthand footage left little room for ambiguity. What they labeled as an assault was, in reality, a coordinated breach — one that jeopardized the safety of law enforcement officers, detainees, and themselves.