Charges against House Dem sets up clash at immigration hearing
The charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) for allegedly 'assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement' at that May 9 event will sharpen talking points for Republicans serving on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Oversight as it 'examines threats to ICE Operations.'
Subcommittee chair Jeff Van Drew, a New Jersey Republican, vowed in an interview Monday that 'We're going to go into … the actual scuffle itself.' Van Drew made these remarks shortly before New Jersey interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced the charge against McIver.
'What happened in that scuffle?' Van Drew asked. 'What was the behavior of the individuals who were involved? Was it appropriate or not?'
For Democrats, the episode at the Delaney Hall immigration detention center has become a flashpoint around oversight of President Donald Trump's hard-line immigration agenda. The DOJ's Monday announcement intensifies their accusations that the administration is intent on punishing its critics.
'Charging Members of Congress for doing our jobs is a dangerous precedent to set,' said the top Democrat on the oversight subcommittee, Rep. Jasmine Crockett of Texas, in a joint statement with the ranking members of the other House Judiciary subpanels. 'It reveals the increasingly authoritarian nature of this administration and its relentless, illegal attempts to suppress any dissent or oversight, including from judges.'
The standoff stems from a visit McIver and fellow New Jersey Democratic Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez made earlier this month to Delaney Hall, where they attempted to inspect the Trump administration's reopened ICE detention center that contracts with the private prison company GEO Group. Critics say the facility is unfit to house up to 1,000 undocumented immigrants.
A tussle erupted amid a group of demonstrators that led to the arrest of Newark's Democratic mayor, Ras Baraka, and accusations that McIver had been physically aggressive with the law enforcement officers controlling the crowd. McIver, in a statement Monday, said she and the other members were 'fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities … and our visit should have been peaceful and short' before 'ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation.'
The trespassing charge against Baraka were dropped Monday, according to Habba.
Van Drew said the Tuesday hearing would focus on the conditions of the Delaney Hall detention center and the people held inside the facility. He also said he believed behavior of the House Democrats was 'inappropriate.' That sentiment is being echoed inside the larger GOP Conference, where Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) has introduced a measure to strip McIver, Watson Coleman and Menendez of their committee seats.
Among members of the Trump administration, former North Carolina GOP Rep. Dan Bishop — now the No. 2 at the Office of Management and Budget — likened the incident to an 'insurrection,' a phrase commonly used to refer to the riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Bishop also said the incident was 'Worse than 9/11.'
A House GOP aide also said Republicans plan to brandish the incident throughout their remarks and lines of questioning of witnesses, including former ICE and Department of Homeland Security officials. The proceedings could mark the latest escalation in Republican attempts to frame Democrats as impediments to efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, a key pillar of Trump's messaging on the campaign trail.
Democrats, meanwhile, are expected to zero in on their targeted colleagues, too — but in a different way than the GOP.
'The Republicans' focus of the incident at the Delaney Hall Detention Center only raises the question surrounding Trump's intimidation campaign against Members of Congress: what is this Administration so afraid of?' a spokesperson for Judiciary Committee Democrats said in a statement. 'We've already seen that the Trump Administration is wrongfully detaining U.S. citizens, unlawfully deporting people without due process, and conducting indiscriminate enforcement actions.'
Jason Houser, a former ICE chief of staff who is set to be the Democrats' witness Tuesday, said Republicans can use the Delaney Hall episode to portray Democrats as obstacles to immigration enforcement, but it doesn't change the fact that Republicans are still ignoring real problems with the U.S. immigration policy.
'You have an administration not fixing the totality of the immigration system,' said Houser in an interview. 'What you have here is a bunch of political operatives in the White House demanding certain things to be done in a certain way.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Chicago Tribune
24 minutes ago
- Chicago Tribune
Redistricting in Indiana: Republicans raise questions, Democrats have limited options if special session called
As Texas Democrats eye an end to their nearly two-week walkout to block Republican efforts there to redistrict, a growing number of Indiana Republicans have been voicing questions and concerns about redistricting in Indiana. The Texas Democrats announced Thursday they will return provided that Texas Republicans end a special session and California releases its own redrawn map proposal, both of which were expected to happen Friday. Democrats did not say what day they might return. Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott still intends to push through new maps that would give the GOP five more winnable seats before next year's midterm elections. Texas House Speaker Dustin Burrows has said that if Democrats don't return the next time lawmakers reconvene on Friday, the session will end and the governor will immediately benign another one. Abbott put redistricting on the agenda at the urging of President Donald Trump, who wants to shore up Republicans' narrow House majority and avoid a repeat of his first presidency, when the 2018 midterms restored Democrats to a House majority that blocked his agenda and twice impeached him. It is unusual for redistricting to take place in the middle of the decade and typically occurs once at the beginning of each decade to coincide with the census. Last week, Vice President JD Vance visited Indiana to meet with Gov. Mike Braun and other state Republican leaders to discuss redistricting Indiana's nine congressional districts. Braun told the Indiana Capital Chronicle Tuesday that he hasn't yet decided if he'll call a special session for redistricting, but said he and state leaders are 'considering it seriously' as they wait to see what comes out of Texas. 'I think mostly what happens here is going to depend on where Texas goes, because I think they've got five seats in play,' Braun said. The Indianapolis Star reported Friday that Trump invited Indiana Republican lawmakers to the White House for an Aug. 26 meeting. Molly Swigart, a spokeswoman for Senate Republicans, said the meeting was scheduled 'to discuss President Trump's agenda.' Indiana University Professor Emeritus of Political Science Marjorie Hershey said the effort to redistrict is 'a power politics move' because the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is 'as narrow as it could be.' In the last 100 years, there have been two midterm elections where the party that holds the White House hasn't lost seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, Hershey said. If Republicans lose a handful of seats, they would lose control of the House, she said. 'That would essentially mean the end of President Trump's dominance of the political agenda. He's gotten where he has as a result of having complete control of the Congress,' Hershey said. 'In order to maintain his edge in the House of Representatives in 2026, Trump wants a cushion for Republican House members because he's afraid that otherwise he's almost guaranteed to lose the House.' Historically, redistricting has occasionally occurred between censuses, Hershey said, but it goes against precedent. 'This is not normal in American politics,' Hershey. 'It's not the way that the constitution was written. It's not the way the supreme court has structured election law over time.' Indiana Republican response Indiana was last redistricted in 2021, which left Congressional Republicans with seven seats and Democrats two seats. 'It's not as though Indiana isn't already redistricted in a highly partisan way to favor Republicans, it is,' Hershey said. 'Even squeezing out one more Republican district in Texas or in Indiana might save President Trump from becoming as much of a lame duck as he otherwise would in 2026.' Indiana's First District, held by Democrat U.S. Rep. Frank Mrvan, D-Highland, would be the most under threat for redistricting because it's become more Republican over time — though still Democratically held, Hershey said. The First Congressional District remains Indiana's most competitive seat. In 2022, Mrvan won nearly 53% of the vote against Republican Jennifer-Ruth Green. In 2024, Mrvan saw a small increase in the number of votes to just over 53% when he won against Republican Randy Niemeyer. The problem for Republicans with redistricting the First District, Hershey said, would be Democrats from the First District would be moved into other districts, which could make the other districts more competitive for Democratic candidates. 'Sometimes the majority party in a state gets a little too greedy and thinks, 'we might have a shot at this one additional seat,' and then they end up losing the seat next door and not winning the seat that they had hoped to gain,' Hershey said. Aaron Dusso, an associate professor of political science at Indiana University Indianapolis, said he hasn't seen an appetite from Indiana Republicans to redistrict because of the risk that it will make safe Republican congressional districts more competitive. State Rep. Ed Soliday, R-Valparaiso, said party leadership has reached out to him to gauge his thoughts on redistricting Indiana. Soliday said he told the leadership 'show me the facts, tell me the unintended consequences, then I'll tell you how I'll vote.' 'I haven't seen anyone show me about how this would work,' Soliday said. 'I have a lot of questions before I jump on board with this.' Sen. Rick Niemeyer, R-Lowell, said he's discussed redistricting with his colleagues but he's still thinking about his position on redistricting. 'I'm not committing one way or the other,' Niemeyer said. 'We're looking at it and have not made a decision yet. That's where I'm at.' State Rep. Mike Aylesworth, R-Hebron, said the state legislature 'did a good job' redistricting in 2021, but he's waiting to see what the leadership decides about a special session for redistricting. 'I don't think it's necessary, but we'll wait and see what the caucus says,' Aylesworth said. 'I'm hesitant to change things, but we'll see what leadership says.' State Sen. Dan Dernulc, R-Highland, said he's spoken with leadership about redistricting, but that he needs more facts and the 'why' of redistricting. 'I don't see a need for it. I don't want to say yes or no, we're a work in progress on it,' Dernulc said. Indiana Democratic redistricting maneuvers In the Indiana House and Senate, two-thirds of members — or 67 House members and 34 senators – have to be present to call a quorum, according to each chamber's rules. In the House, Republicans hold 70 seats to Democrats 30. In the Senate, Republicans hold 40 seats to the Democrats' 10 seats. Indiana Republicans have enough members to call a quorum. Indiana Democrats 'wouldn't have a lot of options,' Dusso said, other than short-term delay tactics, like requiring readings of the whole redistricting bill or talking for long periods of time on the floor. Democrats can talk about the issue publicly to try to rally support from voters to put pressure on Republicans to not hold a special session on redistricting. 'It doesn't really stop anything from happening, it just slows it down,' Dusso said. The best move, Dusso said, would be for Democrats and lobbyists to talk with Braun now to persuade him not to call a special session. 'I think that's where they can win. Once it's called, I don't think they have a chance,' Dusso said. 'If you can get Braun to relent, I think that's where they're going to have their success.' If redistricting were to occur in Indiana, Hershey said it's likely that lawsuits would be filed. 'I'm sure that the Democrats will fight as hard as they can because there's a point at which the party that's trying to take this unfair advantage just starts to look bad,' Hershey said. 'It's a game of chicken, and we'll have to see who it is who veers away first.' State Sen. Rodney Pol Jr., D-Chesteron, said it's 'problematic' that President Trump has been pressuring Republican states to redistrict in the middle of a census. Trump's decision to do so shows he's scared to face the voters given the policies he's passed. 'He's afraid of his own base,' Pol said. 'It's not how our democracy works.' Given Indiana's Republican supermajority, Pol said Indiana Democrats couldn't leave the state to delay the vote. If a special session were called, Pol said the Democrats would attend and voice their opposition from the House and Senate floors. 'The only thing that we have is our voice,' Pol said. 'We're going to have to show up.'
Epoch Times
25 minutes ago
- Epoch Times
California Democrats Unveil Proposed Congressional Map to Counter Texas Redistricting
California Democratic lawmakers unveiled on Friday a proposed redrawn state congressional map they intend to place on the November ballot amid a redistricting battle with Texas. The proposed congressional map is expected to give Democrats five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2026 election, which Democratic lawmakers said was a response to Texas Republicans' redistricting plan.
Fox News
28 minutes ago
- Fox News
Bill Maher slams Democrats like Kamala Harris and the Clintons for being 'afraid' to come on his show
"Real Time" host Bill Maher called out Democrats like former Vice President Kamala Harris and the Clintons for being "afraid" to come onto his show while praising Republicans for coming on and taking "their beating like a man." The "Real Time" host said people ask him "all the time" why he doesn't have guests like Harris or Bill and Hillary Clinton on his program, but according to Maher, it's not for a lack of trying on his end. "You think we don't ask? We ask these people every week. They say no," he said. "It took eight years and a petition to get Obama on." Maher expressed confusion at the fact that Democratic politicians would be "afraid" to come on his show, considering that the late-night host is a longtime liberal who mostly votes for Democrats. "And these are people — all people I voted for. Think about that. They're afraid to come on the show of a guy who voted for them," he jeered. "The Republicans, they show up and when they do, they take their beating like a man." The late-night host then played a montage of conservatives appearing on "Real Time" and getting into heated disagreements with him. Conservative guests included in the montage were former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, former Attorney General Bill Barr, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and longtime Trump ally Steve Bannon. "Look, I would love to have AOC on the show and [Zohran] Mandani and Elizabeth Warren, but I can't subpoena the guests and I can't fix that," Maher asserted. "What the Democrats are scared of more than anything else. I mean, obviously, besides gluten, is being primaried from the far left, even though most Democrats are not far-left, they're mildmannered and moderate." He joked, "At least at my bath house." Although Maher was critical of Democrats who were too "afraid" to make an appearance on his show, there was one liberal politician who Maher praised for being brave enough to make an appearance. In the prior segment, Maher poked fun at California Gov. Gavin Newsom for his "perfect hair," but commended the fact that he's willing to come on his show. The last time Newsom was on "Real Time," Maher did not pull any punches during their time together, calling out the governor over the Golden State's many regulations — something he'd previously pressed Newsom on. The liberal host relayed how he personally felt the sting of big government. Maher kicked off the exchange in March by complaining to Newsom about how he needed to pay out-of-pocket for "two inspections" for upgrades on his roof following the devastating wildfires in the Pacific Palisades. "It's my roof!" Maher exclaimed. "If it falls on my head, that's my problem." "Why do I need two inspections, which I have to pay for? You were here last time. We talked about regulations. You said, 'Oh, it's a completely new day,'" Maher said and made a face at the governor. "You said you were working on it."
