White House slams Democrats for storming ICE prison

FIRST ON FOX: The White House is blasting Democrats for “prioritizing the welfare of illegal aliens over American citizens,” after “outright breaking the law” and storming an ICE facility in New Jersey.

On Friday, Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver, all New Jersey Democrats, entered ICE’s Delaney Hall detention facility in Newark, N.J. and were held up inside the first checkpoint, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News.

The three lawmakers were outside the facility with a group of protesters when the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in. The lawmakers then rushed through the gates and past security, DHS said.

The mayor of Newark, New Jersey, Ras Baraka, was arrested at the ICE detention facility where the three members of Congress also stormed the gate, demanding they be allowed to conduct an “oversight visit.”

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Baraka, a top Democratic gubernatorial candidate, was arrested at the scene for trespassing, authorities said. 

The White House is blasting the Democrats, telling Fox News Digital they are “crossing the line.”

“As always, Democrats are prioritizing the welfare of illegal aliens over American citizens – except now they’re crossing the line between meaningless political street theatre and outright breaking the law,” White House spokesman Kush Desai told Fox News Digital.

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Activists have demanded entry into the facility in recent days, saying the GEO Group, the building’s new owner, is unlawfully preventing it from being inspected. A lawsuit filed on behalf of the City of Newark on April 1 alleges that GEO Group failed to permit entry to safety inspectors and violated city construction code, including by conducting electrical and plumbing renovations without proper oversight.

The Department of Homeland Security said the allegations by Newark politicians that Delaney does not have the proper permitting is false. 

Fox News Digital’s Louis Casiano contributed to this report.