House Speaker Says 3 Democrats Could Face Ramifications After ICE Facility Incident

‘There’s three possible disciplinary actions the House can take,’ Speaker Mike Johnson said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington on May 5, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on May 14 that several Democrat lawmakers who forced their way into an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Jersey on May 9 could face legal issues or other penalties, including expulsion from Congress.

Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.), and Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) were at the Delaney Hall facility in Newark, New Jersey, on May 9 and were involved in a tense demonstration. During the incident, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was led away in handcuffs by federal officials.

“There’s three possible disciplinary actions the House can take. You can censure a member ... kick them off committees, that’s a new tradition begun by the Democrats in recent years, and you can also expel someone from Congress. Now expulsion requires a two-thirds vote, that’s not likely because the margins are small on both sides, but we’re looking at what is appropriate,” Johnson said on May 14 during a press conference.

The House speaker said the three lawmakers may have violated the law, likening their visit to the ICE facility to actions by Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan, who was indicted on May 13 by a grand jury on charges that she allegedly allowed an illegal immigrant to evade arrest by federal officials.

“I’m told ... she’s facing potentially six years in jail and $350,000 in fines because she obstructed justice,” Johnson said, referring to Dugan. “What these House Democrats did is in that same lane. ... I think there’s some legal ramifications to play out here and we'll see how it works.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on May 13 claimed that the lawmakers committed felony offenses.

“This wasn’t oversight; this was committing felonies. This was going out and attacking people who stand up for the rule of law. And it was absolutely horrible,” Noem told Fox News.

On May 9, the Department of Homeland Security issued a statement saying that Menendez and Watson Coleman “stormed the gate and broke into the detention facility” as a bus of ICE detainees entered Delaney Hall.

“The allegations made by Newark politicians that Delaney does not have the proper permitting are false. We have valid permits and inspections for plumbing and electricity, and fire codes have been cleared,” the agency stated.

A resolution was submitted by Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) this week that proposed stripping the three House Democrats of their committee assignments.

In a statement on May 13, Carter said that the lawmakers’ actions were “an assault on our brave ICE agents and undermines the rule of law.”

“[The] three members involved in this stunt do not deserve to sit on committees alongside serious lawmakers,” he said.

Menendez, Watson Coleman, and McIver released a joint statement saying Carter’s resolution is merely a ploy to distract from the Republicans’ budget bill.

“This is just another attempt to distract from the reality of what Republicans are seeking to do: strip health care away from 13.7 million Americans and slash programs that strengthen our communities and make them healthier,” they told media outlets on May 13, responding to Carter.

Watson Coleman also told CNN on May 11 that the threats of arrest are attempts by the administration “to create an environment of intimidation just by claiming that perhaps we might be subject to arrest.” She also appeared to deny claims made by Homeland Security, saying that “if anything, we were pushed and shoved” during the fracas.

McIver said federal immigration officials later took them on a tour of the facility and offered them soda.

“[They] never apologized or said anything about the confrontation and the chaos that they caused outside,” McIver also told CNN.

When asked about the possibility that McIver, Watson Coleman, and Menendez may face punitive actions, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) told reporters this week that federal officials and GOP leaders should not sanction or arrest the three Democratic House members.

In response to a question about what he would do if officials do sanction or arrest them, Jeffries said: “They’ll find out. They’ll find out. They’ll find out. That’s a red line. It’s a red line; it’s very clear.”