House Minority Leader Jeffries Warns Trump Against Arresting Democrats Over ICE Detention Center Confrontation

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries strongly condemned the Trump administration's threats to arrest Democratic lawmakers involved in an attempted inspection of a Newark ICE detention center, calling such actions a "red line" and an overreach of executive power. The incident involved three New Jersey Democrats—Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez, and LaMonica McIver—and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested on trespassing charges. The Department of Homeland Security accused the lawmakers of assaulting ICE officers during the confrontation, allegations the Democrats deny, claiming the officers were the aggressors. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin indicated that further arrests were possible, but Jeffries dismissed her statements as a "joke" and warned the administration against pursuing prosecution. Jeffries emphasized that Democrats would not be intimidated by these tactics, highlighting Trump's declining popularity and framing the situation as an attempt to suppress principled opposition. The conflict has led to political tensions, including a GOP House resolution to strip the involved Democrats of their committee assignments, which House Democratic leaders have rejected.