Another day, another Democrat lawmaker exposed for playing fast and loose with the truth.
The Gateway Pundit previously reported that Democrat Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and three House Democrats — LaMonica McIver, Bob Menendez Jr., and Bonnie Watson Coleman — were involved in a dramatic altercation with ICE agents at the Delaney Hall detention facility in New Jersey on Friday.
The stunt, which the Trump administration has rightfully labeled an “ICE-surrection,” led to arrests and left-wing media spin that quickly unraveled.
Now the excuse being peddled by Democrats is crashing and burning after the internet did what legacy media refuses to: read the actual law.
After being caught on bodycam footage storming the facility, yelling at and even physically assaulting federal ICE agents, Rep. Bob Menendez Jr. tried to defend the disgraceful display by citing federal law that supposedly grants him the right to enter any DHS detention facility unannounced.
Menendez wrote:
“No matter what this Administration tells the American people, the law is very clear: Members of Congress have a legal right to enter any DHS detention facility to conduct oversight without prior notice – something I’ve done twice this year without issue.
After Mayor Baraka was arrested yesterday, DHS officials let us conduct our tour as is required by law. So despite the Admin’s attempts to spin this, they know we had every right to be there and enter the facility. If you ignore the spin, you’ll see there is only one accurate narrative – ours.”
After Mayor Baraka was arrested yesterday, DHS officials let us conduct our tour as is required by law. So despite the Admin’s attempts to spin this, they know we had every right to be there and enter the facility. If you ignore the spin, you’ll see there is only one accurate…
— Rep. Rob Menendez (@RepMenendez) May 10, 2025
Menendez even highlighted Section 527(a) to support his case — a move that backfired spectacularly.
“Sec. 527. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the Department of Homeland Security by this Aliens.
Act may be used to prevent any of the following persons from entering, for the purpose of conducting oversight, any facility operated by or for the Department of Homeland Security used to detain or otherwise house aliens, or to make any temporary modification at any such facility that in any way alters what is observed by a visiting Member of Congress or such designated employee, compared to what would be observed in the absence of such modification:
A Member of Congress.
An employee of the United States House of Representatives or the United States Senate designated by such a Member for the purposes of this section.
(b) Nothing in this section may be construed to require a Member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility described in subsection (a) for the purpose of conducting oversight.”
But in typical Democrat fashion, he conveniently ignored the part that destroys his argument. Subsection (c) of the same statute makes it explicitly clear that only Members of Congress—not mayors—are exempt from prior notice requirements.
As one user brilliantly pointed out: “Wow, amazing, absolutely amazing. That you think people are too f***ing stupid to continue reading the non-highlighted (c) which then can place 24 hour notice restriction on (a)(2). A MAYOR is NOT covered by (a)(1) and as such can be required to give 24-hour notice.”
Another user wrote, “It appears you ran out of yellow highlighter or deliberately omitted item “C” just below your highlighted text. Also, I did not see where it says members can use violence against law enforcement officials to stage their photo op, so there is that too.”
Worse still, the law Menendez conveniently didn’t mention — 18 U.S. Code § 111 — criminalizes assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers. The ICE bodycam footage makes it painfully clear: that’s exactly what happened.
According to 18 U.S. Code § 111, it criminalizes assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain federal officers or employees while they are performing their official duties. This law protects federal personnel from physical attacks or interference during their work.
One user wrote, “The video shows your colleague in the red blazer swearing, slapping, jabbing, and grabbing ICE officers. Is that normal behavior for ‘congressional oversight’? Let me add, you and your group need to be permanently disallowed from ‘overseeing’ anything of any value. Your incompetence is documented in the video.”
Mayor Ras Baraka had no legal standing to barge into a federal facility without notice. And even if congressional members had a legal right to inspect, that does not grant them the authority to physically assault or impede federal agents.
Read more:
The post BUSTED: Democrat Congressman Who Joined “ICE-surrection” Tries Citing Law to Justify Stunt — Netizens Flip Script and Use Same Law to Shred His Excuse to Pieces appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.