Three Democratic members of Congress could face federal charges in the wake of Friday's disturbance outside Delaney Detention Hall, a federal detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. While the three lawmakers had the right to enter the compound to conduct oversight, authorities say they crossed the line by elbowing their way into the enclosure when a bus carrying illegal immigrants entered.
However, authorities contend they do not have a right to put their hands on law enforcement officers – nor are they immune from having hands put on them if they're pushing and shoving.
Accompanying the Congress members was the Democratic mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka (right), who was arrested for trespassing when he barged into the enclosure when the bus entered. He ignored multiple warnings to remove himself before he was taken into custody.
Msg to Dems: Don't you care how this looks?
Townhall columnist Guy Benson describes the incident as representative of "foolish" choices Democrats are making these days:
"They stormed into a federal facility without authorization and refused to leave. They are not victims. They are not heroes. They're showboating idiots. They could not make it any clearer that they're pro-illegal immigration, pro-illegal immigrant, anti-law enforcement, and anti-deportation. This puts them on the lopsidedly unpopular side of public opinion."
Benson isn't alone in his criticism. Robert Knight, a columnist for the Washington Times and a conservative political analyst, suggests Democrats aren't going to accomplish anything positive by storming an ICE facility to defend criminals who are in the country illegally.
"You've got to wonder what these people were thinking …. The only thing they accomplished, I think, is to show Americans what the Democratic Party really cares about, which is illegal immigrant criminals, some of them child molesters; and that they don't care about the rule of law when it comes to somehow favoring these people."
National defense expert Cmdr. Kirk Lippold (USN-Ret.) has similar issues with recent actions by some in the Democratic Party.
"As they [the Democrats] love to say, we are a nation of laws. Guess what? That means they get enforced," he tells AFN. "As far as I'm concerned, they broke the law. Charge them, try them, sentence them – and I don't care if they're members of Congress."
According to Lippold, this was a political stunt that resulted in the physical assault of law enforcement officers.
"As far as I'm concerned, hammer them! I am sick and tired of … elected officials who believe they're above the law simply because they don't believe in this policy or that policy," he exclaims. "No, we're a nation of laws. You're going to follow them – and if you don't, we're going to find you. We're going to charge you, try you, convict you, and sentence you!"
AOC 'laying down the law'
Meanwhile, New York Democratic Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez issued a stark warning on Instagram to two members of the Trump administration after the scuffle at the detention facility:
"If anyone is breaking the law in this situation, it's not members of Congress – it's the Department of Homeland Security. It's people like [border czar] Tom Homan and [DHS] Secretary Kristi Noem. You lay a finger on … any of the representatives who were there, you lay a finger on them, we are going to have a problem."
Knight contends this is bad optics for the Democrats. "I hope more Americans understand that this isn't just a presidential issue," he shares. "This is something that affects Americans at every level of government, and [it shows] that the Democratic Party is clearly on the side of illegal immigrant criminals."
Not to be outdone by the Democratic lawmakers, dozens of clergy on Monday protested outside Delaney Hall Detention Center, chanting and singing songs. While they claimed they had "volunteered" to be arrested and planned to enter the facility, only two protesters were arrested later in the day.
