Trump ally Marjorie Taylor Greene says she won’t run for Senate while blasting Dems and fellow Republicans
Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, a top House ally of President Donald Trump and a MAGA firebrand with a national following, is passing on a 2026 Senate run. The three-term conservative lawmaker who represents a solidly red district in northwest Georgia, in a lengthy statement posted to social media on Friday night, took aim at Democratic incumbent Sen. Jon Ossoff, a top GOP target that Republicans view as extremely vulnerable in next year’s midterm elections. But Greene saved much of her venom for fellow Republicans, many of whom feared a polarizing campaign if Taylor Greene became the party’s 2026 nominee in Georgia, and for the institution of the Senate itself. “Someone once said, ‘The Senate is where good ideas go to die.’ They were right. That’s why I’m not running,” Greene wrote as she announced her decision. THIS POPULAR CONSERVATIVEGOVERNOR PASSES ON A 2026 SENATE RUN And Greene argued, “Here’s the hard truth: the Senate doesn’t work. It’s designed to obstruct the will of the people and protect the Uniparty’s grip on power. Nearly everything requires 60 votes to pass, and even when we have a majority, a pack of Republican Senators always votes “no” on the bills that matter most.” FIRST ON FOX: REPUBLICAN LAUNCHES SECOND STRAIGHT BID TO FLIP DEMOCRAT-HELD SENATE SEAT IN KEY BATTLEGROUND Greene’s announcement came four days after two-term Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who was the National Republican Senatorial Committee’s top recruit in battleground Georgia, revealed that he would also pass on a Senate bid. The popular conservative governor, who is term-limited and prevented from seeking re-election in 2026, was the GOP’s dream candidate to take on Ossoff, as Republicans aim to expand their 53-47 Senate majority in next year’s elections. ONLY ON FOX NEWS: SENATE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN CHAIR REVEALS HOW MANY SEATS HE’S AIMING FOR IN 2026 Greene, in her statement, claimed, “Beating Jon Ossoff? That would be easy. He’s a silver-spoon progressive who’s never held a real job or worried about putting a roof over his family’s head.” “So, Jon Ossoff, you can stop with the fundraising emails and campaign ads claiming I’m your opponent. I’m not running,” she added. While criticizing Ossoff, Greene turned up the volume on her own party, including “the same elites who scoffed at me when I first ran for Congress in 2020.” “Most elected Republicans, propped up by consultants and rich donors, fail to deliver on their campaign promises. Why? Because their donors and handlers don’t want change. They want to protect their own interests, not yours,” Greene charged. She took aim at “the Republicans who see Trump as a speed bump,” and argued that “polling has become so dishonest that most people barely pay attention to it anymore. Voters are sick of the consultants who keep getting rich whether we win or lose.” Greene described herself as “effective, fearless, and relentless, not because I serve the Republican Party, but because I serve the American people.” But she added that “I won’t fight for a team that refuses to win, that protects its weakest players, and that undermines the very people it’s supposed to serve… To the elite retreaters, the consultants, and the establishment: consider this your warning.” In the wake of Kemp’s announcement, GOP Rep.Buddy Carter, who represents coastal Georgia, launched a Senate campaign this week. Other Georgia Republicans expressing interest in running are Reps. Mike Collins and Rich McCormick, and state Insurance Commissioner John King.
Ken Paxton says Google will pay Texas $1.4 billion to settle privacy suit
The state attorney general sued Google in 2022, alleging it unlawfully tracked and collected users’ private data.
After a sometimes graphic debate, Texas House advances bill limiting kids’ access to sexually explicit books in libraries
The bill would bar those under 18 from checking out books with sexually explicit material without parental permission.
Vance says he won’t play ‘politicization of the pope game’ over whether Leo XIV is conservative or liberal
Vice President JD Vance refused to talk politics about the newly elected pope on Friday, calling his election a “great thing.” “So many people my entire lifetime have said you’re never going to have an American pope,” Vance told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt after being asked for his reaction to his election. “Obviously, now we do, so I think that’s a great thing.” Vance added that “We don’t know a whole lot about him, but I just wish him the best, right? I’m a Catholic. He’s now the head of the Catholic Church, and we’ll pray for his wisdom, for his good decisions, and his good health, and hope that he has a long and successful papacy.” The vice president told Hewitt that something like the election of a new pope can often become “discolored” by politics. INCLUSIVE TONE OF NEW POPE ISN’T SITTING WELL WITH SOME IN TEH ‘AMERICA FIRST’ MOVEMENT “People are asking is he a conservative or is he a liberal,” Vance continued. “Will he attack President Trump and J.D. Vance on certain things, and hasn’t attacked Democrats on other things.” He said his thoughts on that were that it’s hard to “fit a 2,000-year-old institution into the politics of 2025 America.” Vance added that as a Catholic convert, he tries “not to play the politicization of the Pope game. I’m sure he’s going to say a lot of things that I love. I’m sure he’ll say some things that I disagree with, but I’ll continue to pray for him and the Church despite it all and through it all, and that’ll be the way that I handle it.” Vance’s remarks came after news spread of an X account linked to Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, that reposted articles earlier this year criticizing the Trump administration on its deportation push. He also agreed with Hewitt that it was “disappointing” that reporters asked cardinals in a press conference about Leo’s election about Trump. FIRST AMERICAN-BORN POPE INSPIRES FAITH LEADERS ACROSS THE NATION “The Church is so much bigger than politics,” he said, adding that most of the millions of Catholics in the U.S. aren’t worried about whether the pope is liberal or conservative. He continued, “There are a lot of views the Catholic leadership holds that are, you know, you might consider on the right side of the spectrum. There are a lot of views they’re going to hold that might be more traditionally on the left side of the spectrum. And then there are a lot of views that don’t map easily onto politics at all.” Vance said that although the church touches on public policy from time to time, “that’s not really what it’s about.” “I think it would be better for all of us if we allowed the Church to be about the saving of souls and didn’t try to fit it into a pre-ordained political box,” he concluded. Pope Leo XIV was elected to succeed Pope Francis on Thursday after the former’s death last month after a health battle. President Trump quickly congratulated Leo on his selection on Thursday. “It is such an honor to realize that he is the first American Pope,” he wrote in Truth Social Post. “What excitement, and what a Great Honor for our Country. I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!” However, other conservatives like Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist in Trump’s first administration and a Catholic, called Leo the “worst pick ever.” Pro-Trump conservative commentator Joey Mannarino took to X to charge that “the new Pope has recently attacked JD Vance, shown solidarity with Kilmar Abrego-Garcia and begged Trump to open the borders like Biden had them. This guy is worse than Francis.” Conservative radio host Charlie Kirk said in a video on X, “Let’s just say, not so great tweets about having some willingness for open borders. We’ll see kind of how he is on that. Also some George Floyd stuff that I’m not too crazy about.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Kirk added that “overall, it seems like he’s a pro-life warrior. There’s a lot yet to learn about this pope, but I hope that he will be a strong advocate for strong borders. And for sovereignty.”
White House blasts Dems ‘crossing the line’ by storming ICE facility
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.” IDENTITY OF SECOND DEPORTED MAN WHO JUDGE WANTS RETURNED TO US REVEALED AS TRUMP ADMIN FIGHTS ORDER 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. BLUE CITY MAYOR SAYS ICE ARRESTS OF DANGEROUS CRIMINALS ARE NOT ‘FOCUSED ON MAKING US SAFER’ 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. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 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.
Trump says tax raises are ‘good politics,’ dismissing GOP critics
As Republicans search for avenues to extend President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, some Republican lawmakers involved in the process have floated the idea that the nation’s highest earners could see a tax increase in order to usher in cuts for lower-earners. For his part, the president is sending signals he tends to agree. “You know, they’ll go around saying, ‘Oh, this is so terrible.’ What you’re doing is you’re giving up something up top in order to make people in the middle income and the lower income brackets save more. So it’s really a redistribution,” Trump told reporters when asked what his response would be to those Republicans opposed to tax increases on the wealthy. “I would love to be able to give people in a lower bracket a big break by giving up some of what I have,” the president added. TRUMP’S TAX HIKE PROPOSAL IS ‘DÉJÀ VU’ OF GEORGE H.W. BUSH’S ‘READ MY LIPS’ MOMENT, EXPERTS SAY He also noted that the move is just “good politics,” dismissing comparisons some political experts have made to one-term Republican President George H.W. Bush, whose broken promise to Republicans that there would be “no new taxes” following his 1988 election victory has been blamed Bush’s failed re-election efforts. “Read my lips: No new taxes,” Bush Sr. said during his acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention. Subsequently, in the face of a ballooning deficit, Bush Sr. ultimately cut a deal with Democrats that raised taxes. “A lot of people say, don’t do it because of the fact that you have the Bush statement about ‘Read my lips.’ But he lost because of Ross Perot, he didn’t lose because of that statement,” Trump said. “I actually think it’s good politics to do it where richer people give up. And it’s a very small – it’s like a point – but they give it up to benefit the people on lower income.” TRUMP PUSHES TAX HIKES FOR WEALTHY AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DEADLINE LOOMS In a post on his Truth Social platform earlier Friday, Trump struck a slightly more cautious tone about the alleged concern that his willingness to increase taxes on the highest earners could spell trouble for him electorally the way it did for Bush Sr. He complained that Democrats would point to it repeatedly in an effort to discredit him. However, Trump still contended that the elder President Bush lost because of more than just his broken tax promises, and added that while Republicans should probably not increase taxes on the wealthy, he would be okay with it if they were to do so. “The problem with even a ‘TINY’ tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,’ the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election,” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. “NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election! In any event, Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!”
Trump defends idea of raising taxes on wealthiest Americans: ‘It’s good politics’
As Republicans search for avenues to extend President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, some Republican lawmakers involved in the process have floated the idea that the nation’s highest earners could see a tax increase in order to usher in cuts for lower-earners. For his part, the president is sending signals he tends to agree. “You know, they’ll go around saying, ‘Oh, this is so terrible.’ What you’re doing is you’re giving up something up top in order to make people in the middle income and the lower income brackets save more. So it’s really a redistribution,” Trump told reporters when asked what his response would be to those Republicans opposed to tax increases on the wealthy. “I would love to be able to give people in a lower bracket a big break by giving up some of what I have,” the president added. TRUMP’S TAX HIKE PROPOSAL IS ‘DÉJÀ VU’ OF GEORGE H.W. BUSH’S ‘READ MY LIPS’ MOMENT, EXPERTS SAY He also noted that the move is just “good politics,” dismissing comparisons some political experts have made to one-term Republican President George H.W. Bush, whose broken promise to Republicans that there would be “no new taxes” following his 1988 election victory has been blamed Bush’s failed re-election efforts. “Read my lips: No new taxes,” Bush Sr. said during his acceptance speech at the 1988 Republican National Convention. Subsequently, in the face of a ballooning deficit, Bush Sr. ultimately cut a deal with Democrats that raised taxes. “A lot of people say, don’t do it because of the fact that you have the Bush statement about ‘Read my lips.’ But he lost because of Ross Perot, he didn’t lose because of that statement,” Trump said. “I actually think it’s good politics to do it where richer people give up. And it’s a very small – it’s like a point – but they give it up to benefit the people on lower income.” TRUMP PUSHES TAX HIKES FOR WEALTHY AS ‘BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL’ DEADLINE LOOMS In a post on his Truth Social platform earlier Friday, Trump struck a slightly more cautious tone about the alleged concern that his willingness to increase taxes on the highest earners could spell trouble for him electorally the way it did for Bush Sr. He complained that Democrats would point to it repeatedly in an effort to discredit him. However, Trump still contended that the elder President Bush lost because of more than just his broken tax promises, and added that while Republicans should probably not increase taxes on the wealthy, he would be okay with it if they were to do so. “The problem with even a ‘TINY’ tax increase for the RICH, which I and all others would graciously accept in order to help the lower and middle income workers, is that the Radical Left Democrat Lunatics would go around screaming, ‘Read my lips,’ the fabled Quote by George Bush the Elder that is said to have cost him the Election,” Trump wrote Friday on Truth Social. “NO, Ross Perot cost him the Election! In any event, Republicans should probably not do it, but I’m OK if they do!!”
Leaks to media about Fetterman are a coordinated smear campaign, Hill colleagues say
The media’s pile-on of Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reached the point where both Republicans and Democrats were lamenting the rhetorical blows landing on the hulking Pittsburgh-area lawmaker by Friday. “This is so blatantly coordinated,” remarked media observer and Fox News contributor Joe Concha, who shared a link in his X post to a Politico report claiming an internal Democratic poll found Fetterman’s popularity faltering in his part of the Keystone State. The report claimed Fetterman had now fallen below 50% in Democratic voter support in the Steel City, just a few miles west of Braddock, where he was previously mayor. Fox News Digital cannot verify the veracity of the poll’s findings. OPENAI’S SAM ALTMAN THANKS JOHN FETTERMAN FOR NORMALIZING HOODIES “I know a hit piece when I see one,” added Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y. “The only reason for the coordinated campaign against Senator John Fetterman is his unapologetic pro-Israel politics,” wrote Torres, a Bronx Democrat who also bucks his party on Israel, but is also considered a high-profile progressive. “Let’s call it what it is. As someone who has struggled with depression my whole adult life, I can tell you that if you truly care about someone’s mental health, leaking hit pieces against them is a strange way of showing it.” Swing-state Pennsylvania has a history of politically opposed senators forging close relationships — such as Republican Pat Toomey and Democrat Bob Casey Jr. for many years. That trend continued Friday when Sen. David McCormick, R-Pa., stuck up for Fetterman, saying in a statement that “it’s time to put politics aside and stop these vicious, personal attacks against Senator Fetterman, his wife, and his health.” “While we have many differences, we are both committed to working together to achieve results for the people of Pennsylvania and make their lives better,” McCormick wrote. JOHN FETTERMAN FACES NEW SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH, FAMILY DRAMA, SPARKING ONLINE UPROAR The Republican called the Democrat “authentic, decent, principled and a fighter,” and ripped the “disgraceful smears” he has seen in recent times. Philadelphia radio host Nick Kayal remarked on X that he’s seen more reports critical of Fetterman’s health in four days than were seen in the press about former President Joe Biden in four years. “Wonder why,” he asked rhetorically. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, added that “the media ought to lay off Senator Fetterman.” A former UPenn student who spoke out on national media against the anti-Semitic protests on campus also came to Fetterman’s defense, slamming the “hit pieces” as of late. “If you’re a Democrat and oppose the woke mob, you’re enemy #1 of the legacy media,” wrote Eyal Yakoby, who also posted a previous photo he took with Fetterman. Conservative former Pittsburgh news anchor and radio host Wendy Bell remarked on X that the Fetterman attacks are “so weird.” “The New York Magazine hit piece on John Fetterman didn’t hit enough to stick the landing. Now it’s the AP’s turn. This is journalism? No, this is propaganda,” Bell wrote. “The Code Red has been issued on Fetterman,” Concha followed up in another X post. “And of course, our wonderful media follows that order as if Col. Jessup ordered it himself,” he said, referring to Jack Nicholson’s crooked Marine Corps officer character in 1992’s “A Few Good Men.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Later on Friday, more Republicans came to Fetterman’s defense, including Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark. “John Fetterman and I have our differences, but he’s a decent and genuine guy,” Cotton wrote. “The radical left is smearing him with dishonest, vicious attacks because he’s pro-Israel and they only want reliable anti-Israel politicians. Disgraceful.” Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., also pushed back on the media, calling Fetterman a “tremendous friend and colleague.” “It’s a complete disgrace what agenda-driven members of the media and his own party are doing to attack him, all because he dares to be an independent thinker and voice. Proud to stand with John,” she wrote.
Who is the Democratic gubernatorial candidate arrested for trespassing at an ICE detention center?
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was arrested on Friday for trespassing at an ICE holding facility, is known as a far-left progressive who has a record of associating with controversial celebrities. Baraka, who is currently one of the top Democratic candidates for New Jersey governor, was arrested by Homeland Security personnel outside the Delaney Hall ICE detention center for his involvement in what the DHS called a “beyond bizarre political stunt.” The prison currently holds alleged killers, MS-13 gang members and accused child rapists, among other criminal offenders. U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced that Baraka, one of the leading Democratic candidates for New Jersey governor, was arrested on Friday for his involvement in the incident. “The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon,” said Habba. “He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.” NEWARK MAYOR TAKES FIGHT TO THE GATES OF ICE DETENTION CENTER AMID LEGAL BATTLE OVER ALLEGED SAFETY VIOLATIONS According to Baraka’s campaign website, if elected governor he envisions working to “deconstruct the state budget and reassemble with equity as our north star; judging every decision as either a step towards equity or a step towards inequity.” Besides pushing these controversial “equity” policies, Baraka has been criticized for having a record of associating with questionable characters, including Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and radical antisemitic preacher Louis Farrakhan. When he was first running for mayor in 2014, Baraka was endorsed by P. Diddy. He posted about the endorsement on Facebook and in 2015 posted another picture of himself with the former rapper, saying, “great to see see you [P. Diddy] … you’re welcome here anytime!” Baraka has also been caught on video applauding and embracing Farrakhan after an address in which the Nation of Islam preacher called White people “demons” and encouraged violence as retribution. The video – taken in 2004 at a Newark church – shows Baraka introducing Farrakhan to the congregation by calling him a major personal inspiration and “the leader of every Black person.” During the speech, which was first reported on by the New York Post, Baraka stood to give Farrakhan a standing ovation two times. The first is after Farrakhan denounces the non-violent protests of the civil rights movement, saying, “We didn’t believe in no non-violence. The cracker hit you on your jaw, you break his neck. That’s the way we think.” Baraka applauds again after Farrakhan demonizes White people as “the enemy.” DEM CANDIDATE CAUGHT ON CAMERA APPLAUDING NOTORIOUS ANTISEMITE’S VIOLENT RHETORIC: ‘YOU BREAK HIS NECK’ Local outlet Insider NJ reported that a spokesperson for Baraka’s campaign confirmed the arrest, saying that he “was arrested and detained by ICE” and that he was being transported to the Homeland Security Investigations Newark field office. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver, all New Jersey Democrats, were also involved in the incident and rushed through the facility’s gates, demanding they be allowed to conduct an “oversight visit.” The lawmakers were held up at the first checkpoint. Baraka, who has been protesting the facility’s opening for months, was a regular presence at protests outside the building throughout the week. Baraka has said that using Delaney Hall for processing people in the country illegally goes against state and local law, leading the city to file a lawsuit in the Essex County Superior Court at the end of March. NEWARK MAYOR SAYS ICE AGENTS RAIDED ‘WITHOUT WARRANT,’ VIOLATED CONSTITUTION In a press conference on Monday, Baraka said that GEO Group, the private company running the prison, is “following the pattern of the president of the United States who believes that he can just do what he wants to do and obscure the laws, national and constitutional laws, and they think they can do the same thing in the state of New Jersey and in Newark.” Commenting on the arrest, New Jersey Sen. Jon Bramnick, a GOP gubernatorial candidate, told Fox News that “it doesn’t really surprise me because he’s been fighting the opening of Delaney Hall since it opened” and that the mayor “wasn’t very pleased with ICE taking over Delaney Hall.” Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., who is also a candidate for governor, condemned the arrest, calling it an “absolute outrage.” Sherill said that Baraka “needs to be released immediately.” Another Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Steven Fulop, who is mayor of Jersey City, also condemned the arrest, saying, “We’re watching lines get crossed in real time” and that “this is a dangerous precedent.” DHS UNLEASHES POSSIBLE MONEY-SAVING MEASURE FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS TO SELF-DEPORT: ‘SAFEST OPTION’ Meanwhile, Jack Ciattarelli, another GOP candidate for New Jersey governor, called Baraka’s actions a “cheap publicity stunt.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “In Newark, the airport is in the midst of an unprecedented & dangerous meltdown, the public schools are failing students & families, and there is crime in the streets every day. And yet its Mayor and leading Democrat candidate for Governor, [Ras Baraka], is busy shilling for illegal Immigrants at an ICE detention center with a cheap publicity stunt. Shameful,” he posted on X.
Top Dem gubernatorial candidate arrested for trespassing at ICE detention center
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a top Democratic gubernatorial candidate in New Jersey, was arrested on Friday for trespassing at an ICE holding facility in Newark during a protest. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) called the incident, which took place at the Delaney Hall ICE detention center, a “beyond bizarre political stunt” that “puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and the detainees at risk.” The prison currently holds alleged killers, MS-13 gang members and accused child rapists, among other criminal offenders. U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced that Baraka, one of the leading Democratic candidates for New Jersey governor, was arrested on Friday for his involvement in the incident. “The Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka, committed trespass and ignored multiple warnings from Homeland Security Investigations to remove himself from the ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey this afternoon,” said Habba. “He has willingly chosen to disregard the law. That will not stand in this state. He has been taken into custody. NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW.” NEWARK MAYOR TAKES FIGHT TO THE GATES OF ICE DETENTION CENTER AMID LEGAL BATTLE OVER ALLEGED SAFETY VIOLATIONS Local outlet Insider NJ reported that a spokesperson for Baraka’s campaign confirmed the arrest, saying that he “was arrested and detained by ICE” and that he was being transported to the Homeland Security Investigations Newark field office. DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that Reps. Rob Menendez Jr., Bonnie Watson Coleman and LaMonica McIver, all New Jersey Democrats, were also involved in the incident and rushed through the facility’s gates, demanding they be allowed to conduct an “oversight visit.” The lawmakers were held up at the first checkpoint. Baraka, who has been protesting the facility’s opening for months, was a regular presence at protests outside the building throughout the week. Baraka has said that using Delaney Hall for processing people in the country illegally goes against state and local law, leading the city to file a lawsuit in the Essex County Superior Court at the end of March. NEWARK MAYOR SAYS ICE AGENTS RAIDED ‘WITHOUT WARRANT,’ VIOLATED CONSTITUTION In a press conference on Monday, Baraka said that GEO Group, the private company running the prison, is “following the pattern of the president of the United States who believes that he can just do what he wants to do and obscure the laws, national and constitutional laws, and they think they can do the same thing in the state of New Jersey and in Newark.” Commenting on the arrest, New Jersey Sen. Jon Bramnick, a GOP gubernatorial candidate, told Fox News that “it doesn’t really surprise me because he’s been fighting the opening of Delaney Hall since it opened” and that the mayor “wasn’t very pleased with ICE taking over Delaney Hall.” Rep. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., who is also a candidate for governor, condemned the arrest, calling it an “absolute outrage.” Sherill said that Baraka “needs to be released immediately.” Another Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Steven Fulop, who is mayor of Jersey City, also condemned the arrest, saying, “We’re watching lines get crossed in real time” and that “this is a dangerous precedent.” DHS UNLEASHES POSSIBLE MONEY-SAVING MEASURE FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS TO SELF-DEPORT: ‘SAFEST OPTION’ Meanwhile, Jack Ciattarelli, another GOP candidate for New Jersey governor, called Baraka’s actions a “cheap publicity stunt.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “In Newark, the airport is in the midst of an unprecedented & dangerous meltdown, the public schools are failing students & families, and there is crime in the streets every day. And yet its Mayor and leading Democrat candidate for Governor, [Ras Baraka], is busy shilling for illegal Immigrants at an ICE detention center with a cheap publicity stunt. Shameful,” he posted on X.