Today, Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries released the following statement:

The Trump administration has repeatedly broken the law and skirted court orders while deporting American citizens, including children, without the due process protections guaranteed by the Constitution. 

Members of Congress have a constitutional responsibility to serve as a check on the out-of-control policies of the executive branch, including conducting oversight wherever and whenever it is needed. I thank Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rob Menendez and LaMonica McIver for showing up, standing up and speaking out today in Newark, along with Mayor Ras Baraka. 

The concerns of elected officials about this unsanctioned facility will not be silenced by the Trump administration’s attempt to intimidate the public. We will never bend the knee. 

The masked agents who physically accosted two Congresswomen must be identified immediately and any trumped-up charges against Mayor Baraka dropped. The specific role played by the for-profit operators of this private detention center in today’s disgraceful events will be heavily scrutinized in this congressional term – and beyond. Presidents come and Presidents go. The House of Representatives will endure. 

Keep your hands off of Members of Congress.

###