WASHINGTON — A Republican lawmaker introduced a resolution to remove three of his Democratic colleagues from their committee assignments after they were present at an incident at a Newark Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility last week. 

The three New Jersey Democrats were present for a scuffle with federal agents at a Newark ICE facility last week. 

What You Need To Know

  • A Republican lawmaker introduced a resolution to remove three of his Democratic colleagues from their committee assignments after they were present at an incident at a Newark Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility last week
  • The resolution introduced by Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga., who announced a 2026 bid to represent Georgia in the Senate last week, would strip Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rep. Rob Menendez and Rep. LaMonica McIver of their committee seats
  • A visit by the three New Jersey Democrats at the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall detention center on Friday escalated into a brief but tense confrontation in the parking lot that included the members of Congress and federal agents
  • The New Jersey Democrats argue they are legally permitted to inspect such facilities as members of Congress and have disputed Trump administration officials’ accounts of the situation

The resolution introduced by Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter, R-Ga., who announced a 2026 bid to represent Georgia in the Senate last week, would strip Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of her seat on the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Rob Menendez of his seat on the Energy and Commerce Committee and Rep. LaMonica McIver of her seats on the Homeland Security Committee as well as the Small Business Committee. All three Democratic House members represent New Jersey. 

“The radical left has lost their minds - they would rather raid an ICE facility to defend criminal illegal immigrants than represent their own constituents,” Carter said in a press release announcing the resolution. “This behavior constitutes an assault on our brave ICE agents and undermines the rule of law.”

The three New Jersey Democrats were carrying out an unannoucned inspection the 1,000-bed Delaney Hall detention center on Friday and did so for hours. But their visit escalated into a brief but tense confrontation in the parking lot that included the members of Congress, federal agents and the mayor of New Jersey's largest city.. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested for trespassing at the facility but has since been released.

A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security has indicated it is possible the lawmakers could be arrested themselves. 

The New Jersey Democrats argue they are legally permitted to inspect such facilities as members of Congress and have disputed Trump administration officials’ accounts of the situation. 

“Here’s the moment my colleagues and I were let into Delaney Hall,” Watson Coleman wrote in a post on X that included a video. “The idea we “stormed” a heavily guarded federal detention center is absurd - just more lies from the most dishonest administration in history.” 

The three Democratic members of Congress issued a joint statement in response to Carter's resolution on Tuesday.

“This is just another attempt to distract from the reality of what Republicans are seeking to do: strip healthcare away from 13.7 million Americans and slash programs that strengthen our communities and make them healthier," the New Jersey Democrats said, pointing to the budget bills being worked on in the House this week. "As we all know, Members of Congress have a legal right to conduct oversight at any DHS detention facility without prior notice, and that’s exactly what we were doing last week. This week, we’re back in Washington doing exactly what New Jerseyans sent us here to do: delivering for them.” 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.