Sparks to fly at high-stakes House hearing on threats against ICE

Partisan sparks are expected to fly on Tuesday as lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee face off over President Donald Trump’s strict crackdown on illegal immigration.

The panel’s subcommittee on oversight is holding a hearing Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m. on threats to Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations.

It comes as tensions still run high over the incident at Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey, last month, when three House Democrats and the city’s progressive mayor were accused of “storming” the facility in a protest against Trump’s handling of illegal immigrants.

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One of those Democratic lawmakers, Rep. LaMonica McIver, is being charged with assault, while a charge of trespassing against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka is being dropped. McIver called the charge “purely political.”

The Tuesday hearing will be led by Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., who represents the southernmost portion of the Garden State.

“While the Trump administration has taken decisive action to address this crisis, Democrat leaders have worked tirelessly to block those efforts. What happened in my home state of New Jersey is just the latest example, and it is simply unacceptable,” Van Drew told Fox News Digital.

“We witnessed protests, led by elected officials, turn violent against ICE officers who were just doing their jobs. These officials are more focused on protecting violent criminals than ensuring the safety of their own communities.”

He said the subcommittee’s probe would “expose how sanctuary policies and anti-enforcement rhetoric are putting public safety at risk.”

The top Democrat on the subcommittee is Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a rising star on the left who has been known to make headlines for verbal outbursts – particularly targeting Republicans. Her office did not respond to a request for comment on the hearing. However, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., signaled he was ready to defend the Democratic officials in the middle of the Delaney Hall incident.

“I assume if they want to do anything to those three members, then I assume they’ll get a Trump pardon, right?” Moskowitz told Fox News Digital. 

Rep. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., said he wanted to take time to review witnesses’ submitted testimony before talking about what he would say.

Meanwhile, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, who is also on the panel, said: “What we’re trying to understand is, why in the world are Democrats hell-bent on stopping the president from deporting murderers and rapists and terrorists?”

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“I mean, they’re holding up ICE facilities, breaking into them. They’ve fought us every single step of the way,” Gill said.

“I think we’re going to put them on the spot and get to the bottom of it.”

The Democratic officials at the center of the Delaney Hall incident and their allies have contended that they had every right to be inside the facility as federal officials. Both sides have accused the other of assault and improper handling.