Texas MAGA battle ends with Middleton victory as Chip Roy falls short in AG Race
A Republican state senator who spotlighted his support for President Donald Trump and his MAGA agenda is one step closer to succeeding Ken Paxton as Texas attorney general. State Sen. Mayes Middleton on Tuesday defeated Rep. Chip Roy, one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House, for the Republican attorney general nomination in Texas, the Associated Press reports. The ballot-box battle between Roy and Middleton, the president of an independent oil and gas company, turned bitter and expensive, and partially became a test of which candidate was more of a fighter for Trump and his America First and MAGA movements. DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Middleton, who edged Roy in the March primary, dished out roughly $17 million of his own money to back his campaign. But Roy, a former Texas assistant attorney general and former chief of staff to conservative Sen. Ted Cruz, received a late surge in fundraising from major backers. “We’ve gotten the financial support necessary to compete with my self-funder opponent, who’s got his inheritance money that he can just spend,” Roy highlighted in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff. Roy argued that Middleton’s lack of courtroom experience would make him a poor attorney general. “Having been the first assistant attorney general makes me ready on day one, but it’s also that I’ve been a prosecutor, I’ve been in court, I’ve sat in front of a judge, stood in front of a judge, argued cases, and he has never done any of those things. And we think those things should matter,” Roy emphasized. TED CRUZ ENDORSES CHIP ROY FOR TEXAS ATTORNEY GENERAL: ‘NO ONE BETTER’ Middleton pushed back, questioning Roy’s conservative credentials and running ads claiming Roy’s “betrayed MAGA” as he pointed to the times the congressman has broken with Trump over policy. “Chip Roy is someone that has spent a decade fighting the president. He actually said President Trump committed impeachable conduct on the House floor,” Middleton told Fox News Digital. “Instead of spending 10 years fighting President Trump, what have I done? I’ve spent 10 years fighting to defeat the left, which is what matters the most in this race.” TEXAS REP CHIP ROY ANNOUNCES RUN FOR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL TO REPLACE KEN PAXTON But Roy, in response, said, “Everyone knows that I’m a longtime defender and supporter of the president’s agenda, of the America First agenda, the MAGA agenda, but I’m also an independent thinker who will stand up and make the case.” And pointing to Middleton, Roy charged, “MAGA is not something you just buy. My opponent thinks you can buy the brand.” Middleton returned fire, arguing, “Chip Roy is putting out there that he is a top ally to President Trump when the exact opposite is the case.” Trump stayed neutral in the runoff showdown. Middleton will likely face Democratic state Sen. Nathan Johnson, who came close to clinching his party’s nomination in the primary. Johnson was facing off against former Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski. Paxton decided against seeking re-election, as he ran for the Republican Senate nomination against longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn.
Trump flexes endorsement power as Army combat vet wins Texas GOP runoff
Alex Mealer, an Army combat veteran and energy executive backed by President Donald Trump, is one step closer to winning election to the House. Mealer defeated state Rep. Briscoe Cain, R-Texas, in a GOP primary runoff election for a Houston-based congressional seat Tuesday, according to The Associated Press. The matchup in the solidly Republican district was another test of Trump’s endorsement power, which has proven to be decisive in several high-profile races this year. The president endorsed Mealer shortly before the first round of voting in March, during which she emerged as the top vote-getter with 36% of the vote. TRUMP-BACKED CANDIDATE WINS CROWDED GOP PRIMARY IN BATTLE FOR VACANT HOUSE SEAT Mealer notably received a boost from the conservative Club for Growth, which is frequently one of the top spenders in GOP primaries. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also backed her campaign. Because Mealer did not secure a majority of the vote, the race went to a runoff election against Cain, who came in second and notched 31% of the vote. Cain has served in the Texas House of Representatives since 2017 and was endorsed by Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas. He is viewed as one of the most conservative members of the state legislature and has touted endorsements from the National Rifle Association (NRA), Concerned Women for America, Young Republicans of Texas and the Texas Homeschool Coalition PAC, among other Republican-aligned groups. HOUSE DEMOCRAT WHO HAS REPEATEDLY TRIED TO IMPEACH TRUMP HEADS TO RUNOFF ELECTION AMID TIGHT PRIMARY The primary winner will face environmental activist Leticia Gutierrez in the general election. The newly redrawn seat is widely expected to flip to Republican control and is rated noncompetitive by the Cook Political Report. Trump would have carried the district by nearly 20 points in 2024. Republicans redrew the Democratic-heavy seat last year as part of a GOP-friendly gerrymander that effectively ousted Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, from the district he had represented for more than two decades. Green ultimately chose to challenge Rep. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, for Houston’s lone Democratic seat, which also went to a runoff election Tuesday. Mealer narrowly lost a bid for Harris County Judge in 2022 against Judge Lina Hidalgo. She also received the president’s backing during that campaign.
Trump-backed mortgage banker defeats pilot in GOP primary runoff to replace Wesley Hunt
Trump-backed Republican Jon Bonck won the GOP runoff Tuesday for Texas’ 38th Congressional District, putting him on track to succeed Rep. Wesley Hunt in a solidly Republican Houston-area seat. Bonck defeated Shelly deZevallos, a pilot and president of the West Houston Airport, after finishing far ahead of the March primary field but falling just short of the majority needed to win the nomination outright. He led the first round with 47.7% of the vote, while deZevallos advanced to the runoff with 18.6%, according to Ballotpedia’s results from the early-March primary contest. TRUMP’S SHADOW LOOMS OVER TEXAS RACE AS HUNT ACCUSES CORNYN OF BETRAYAL Bonck will advance to face Democrat Melissa McDonough in the November general election, though Republicans are expected to be heavily favored in Texas’ 38th Congressional District, with Cook Political Report rating the Houston-area seat Solid Republican. The race became an open-seat contest after Hunt, who was first elected in 2022, opted against seeking another House term and instead launched a U.S. Senate bid. Bonck graduated from Louisiana State University in 2009 with a degree in biochemistry, according to his LinkedIn profile. He is currently a mortgage industry manager in the Houston area. TEXAS DEM NOMINEE JAMES TALARICO INVOKES FAITH TO DEFEND ABORTION RIGHTS, ‘THE BIBLE IS SILENT ON ABORTION’ Endorsed by President Donald Trump and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, Bonck campaigned as a Christian conservative, family man and described himself on his campaign website as “not a political celebrity” but rather a “servant leader.” He also touts endorsements from Reps. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, on his campaign website. In a candidate questionnaire, from earlier this month ahead of the runoff, Bonck listed affordability, immigration and public safety as the three biggest challenges facing the Houston-area district he is hoping to represent. Meanwhile, he said putting America first “means securing the border, stopping blank checks to foreign countries, cutting waste and regulation, lowering costs, and empowering families.” Bonck also added that government “should get out of the way so small businesses can grow and parents can lead their children’s education and healthcare decisions.”
Texas Democrats pick lieutenant governor nominee to challenge GOP incumbent Dan Patrick
DALLAS — Texas Democratic voters selected state Rep. Vikki Goodwin as their nominee for lieutenant governor Tuesday night, defeating Marcos Vélez in the party’s primary runoff and setting up a November showdown against Republican incumbent Dan Patrick. The contest became a test of what direction Texas Democrats want to take in the general election. Goodwin, who took office in 2019, campaigned on boosting public school funding and teacher pay, expanding Medicaid, investing in water infrastructure and repealing Texas’ abortion ban. Meanwhile, Vélez, who worked in Texas refineries and is a member of the United Steelworkers union, centered his campaign on property tax relief, raising the minimum wage and affordability measures aimed at working families and seniors. ‘PUT US DOWN FOR KEN PAXTON’: TRUMP ENDORSEMENT ENERGIZES TEXAS VOTERS AHEAD OF RUNOFF The lieutenant governor’s office presides over the Senate, controls the chamber’s agenda, appoints committee chairs and can break tie votes — powers that give the position major influence over which bills reach the governor’s desk. The lieutenant governor also helps craft the state budget as co-chair of the Legislative Budget Board and serves on the Legislative Redistricting Board, which redraws political maps if lawmakers fail to do so. Polls closed across Texas at 7 p.m. Tuesday, with turnout expected to be significantly lower than during the March primary election. TRUMP FLEXES MAGA MUSCLE IN TEXAS SENATE RUNOFF CLASH BETWEEN CORNYN AND PAXTON During his decade as lieutenant governor, Patrick has pushed the Legislature steadily to the right and built a strong network of Republican allies within the Senate. Political observers say his defeat in November would create a major power vacuum in Texas Republican politics and significantly reshape dynamics inside the Legislature. Still, while the lieutenant governor currently holds sweeping authority, much of that power comes from Senate rules approved at the start of each legislative session. If a Democrat were to win office in November, the Republican-controlled Senate could move to rewrite those rules and reduce the lieutenant governor’s powers, potentially altering how the chamber operates.
GOP veteran defeats populist candidate in one of America’s most conservative districts
Republican veteran strategist Tom Sell defeated populist, MAGA-style candidate Abraham Enriquez in a primary runoff race in a Texas congressional district known as one of the most conservative in the country. Sell, a Republican strategist with years of agricultural consulting experience, beat Enriquez on election night, earning () percent of the vote in the solid red 19th Congressional District in West Texas. A fifth-generation West Texan and businessman, Sell styled himself as an “America-first” “champion for rural America.” He was endorsed by several key House Republican leaders, including Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., and Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Sell also earned endorsements from younger congressional Republicans, Reps. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla. SCOOP: HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN ARM LAUNCHES ‘MAGA MAJORITY’ PROGRAM TO BOOST TRUMP-ALIGNED CANDIDATES Meanwhile, Enriquez, a young candidate who cast himself as the anti-establishment contender in the race, earned ()% of the vote. Enriquez, who founded the conservative Hispanic outreach organization Bienvenido, ran on a “pro-Trump,” America-first platform. He was endorsed by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, Turning Point Action, and the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). President Donald Trump did not make an endorsement in the race. HOUSE CANDIDATE PREDICTS HISTORIC RISE OF ‘NEW GENERATION’ IN CONGRESS AS PARTIES TARGET KEY DEMOGRAPHIC District 19, which includes vast swaths of West Texas, including Lubbock and Abilene, is considered a Republican stronghold. As a result, Sell’s primary victory virtually guarantees he will succeed outgoing Rep. Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, who is retiring from Congress. Arrington, 53, had been endorsed for re-election by Trump, but he decided not to run again. In a statement announcing his decision, Arrington said, “I have a firm conviction, much like our founders did, that public service is a lifetime commitment, but public office is and should be a temporary stint in stewardship, not a career.” TOP HOUSE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN REVEALS HE WON’T SEEK RE-ELECTION IN 2026 Sell will face Democratic candidate Kyle Rable, an Army Reserve officer who ran unopposed in the Democratic primary.
MAGA triumph: Trump ally Ken Paxton defeats John Cornyn in bitter Texas GOP primary war
PLANO, TX – President Donald Trump and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are the winners in the Lone Star State’s bitter Republican Senate primary battle, which has spanned for more than a year and became the most expensive Senate primary in history. Paxton, who was endorsed by Trump just one week ago, defeated longtime GOP Sen. John Cornyn in Tuesday’s runoff election for the Republican nomination, the Associated Press reports. Paxton now faces off against state Rep. James Talarico — a rising star in the Democratic Party — in the general election in a race that is among a handful that may decide if the Republicans hold their slim 53-47 majority in the Senate. Talarico, who topped progressive star Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a vocal Trump critic, in the March primary, is trying to become the first Democrat in nearly four decades to win a Senate election in Texas. Cornyn, speaking to reporters after the race was called, said, “I’ve always supported the Republican ticket, and I intend to do so again in this general election.” TRUMP FLEXES MAGA MUSCLE IN HIGH-STAKES SENATE SHOWDOWN IN TEXAS Paxton, in his victory speech, delivered an olive branch to the senator and his supporters. “I want to thank John Cornyn for his service to this state. John has dedicated much of his life to serving Texans. He’s worked diligently for years to help Texas and for that spirit of service to the Lone Star State and our nation, I’m very grateful,” Paxton said. And Paxton, in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital moments after he left the stage, said, “We need to come together as a Republican Party. I think John Cornyn will be a part of that. I think his voters will be too.” Trump targeted Cornyn as “VERY disloyal” as he backed Paxton, a major Trump ally and MAGA firebrand, in the final days of the runoff campaign. The ballot-box showdown in right-leaning Texas served as the latest test of Trump’s immense grip over the Republican Party and the strength of his endorsements in GOP nomination races. The runoff election was held three weeks after Trump’s purging of five state senators in Indiana’s primary who had opposed his push for congressional redistricting, a week and a half after the president helped to oust Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana — who, five and a half years ago, voted to convict Trump in his second impeachment trial — and one week after Trump was instrumental in sending vocal GOP critic Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky down to defeat in his re-election bid. After sitting on the sidelines for months, Trump last Tuesday backed Paxton. “Ken is a true MAGA Warrior who has ALWAYS delivered for Texas, and will continue to do so in the United States Senate,” Trump wrote in a social media post last Tuesday. Paxton, pointing to Trump, told supporters that “when everyone in Washington told him to abandon me and abandon the people of Texas, he didn’t listen. Instead, President Trump gave me his complete and total endorsement.” And Paxton told Fox News Digital after his victory that “the president’s endorsement is the most valuable endorsement in this country. I’m grateful to have it.” Paxton on Tuesday night quickly turned his fire on Talarico, charging in his speech that “James Talarico is a threat to everything we hold dear in this state and in this country. He’s a threat to our security and our safety. He wants open borders and even said a welcome mat should be at our southern border.” And he told Fox News Digital that “James Talarico doesn’t belong in Texas. We cannot let him be the center of the state of Texas. He fits in California, he does not fit here.” Looking to the general election showdown, Paxton said, “I think we’re going to try to highlight what he actually believes, because the people of Texas need to know what his views are, and whether they are going to support those views. The only way where they can know what he’s really about is to let people know what he said.” Paxton has faced a slew of scandals and legal problems that have battered him over the past decade. In 2023, the Texas House of Representatives voted to impeach Paxton, but he was eventually acquitted of all charges by the state Senate. And Paxton is dealing with a very messy divorce, with his wife citing “biblical grounds” based on “recent discoveries” in filing last year to end their marriage. Talarico’s campaign, posting a mug shot of Paxton on social media, noted: “He was indicted on 3 felony counts for investment fraud. He was reported to the FBI by his own staff for bribery. He was impeached by his own party for corruption.” “Now he’s the Republican nominee for US Senate in Texas. Together we will stop him,” the Talarico campaign vowed. The two heated rivals topped a crowded field of contenders in the early March primary, with Cornyn edging Paxton. But since neither cleared the 50% threshold, the nomination race headed into overtime. Trump, in backing Paxton, said that “John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough.” DEMOCRACY ’26: STAY UP TO DATE WITH THE FOX NEWS ELECTION HUB Pointing to the senator’s past criticism of him, Trump added, “John was very late in backing me in what turned out to be a Historic Run for the Republican Nomination, and then, the Presidency.” Cornyn, in a Fox News Digital interview on the eve of the runoff, emphasized his support for the president and his agenda. “President Trump has called me a friend and a good man, and we’ve worked with him closely for both terms of office,” the senator said. Paxton, who grabbed significant national attention the past dozen years by filing lawsuits against the Obama and Biden administrations, disagreed. “John Cornyn fought Trump on the border. And you can
House Dem who repeatedly tried to impeach Trump toppled in heated Texas race
Texas redistricting claimed a longtime Democratic incumbent Tuesday, as Rep. Christian Menefee defeated Rep. Al Green in a Houston-area runoff that forced two sitting House Democrats into the same race. Rep. Al Green, one of Congress’ most vocal Trump antagonists, lost his Democratic runoff Tuesday to fellow Texas Rep. Christian Menefee after redistricting scrambled Houston-area congressional lines. The race for Texas’ solidly Democratic 18th Congressional District was an incumbent-on-incumbent Democratic clash, with Green and Menefee both trying to preserve their places in Congress after redistricting altered the congressional districts around Houston. In Texas, it is mandated by law that if no candidate has captured a majority of the vote during a primary, the race will head to a runoff election. Menefee received 46% of votes and Green 44.2% following the early-March primary. Green has been among President Donald Trump’s fiercest critics in Congress, pursuing impeachment charges on multiple occasions against him during both of Trump’s terms. Green has been kicked out of Trump’s State of the Union addresses multiple times as well for standing up and protesting amid the speech. Following the close March primary, Fox News Digital caught up with Green on Capitol Hill, during which the longtime congressman cited $1.5 million in spending against his campaign by the crypto-industry as a major driver behind the closeness of his race. At the same time, Green slammed Menefee, over his alleged lack of experience and failure to show up for votes early in his congressional career following his tenure as an attorney. Meneffee is a fresher face in Washington who ran on bringing a new face to Congress to combat Trump and Republicans. “A former commercial litigation lawyer from a military family, Mr. Menefee had been mentioned as a potential statewide candidate. His decision to run for Congress instead underscored what many Democrats have acknowledged: that the prospects for breaking the Republican hold on state politics in Texas appeared dim for Democrats in the short term,” Menefee said in a post to his website last March. Menefee will take on Republican Ronald Whitfield in the November general election, though Menefee is strongly favored in the heavily-Democratic Houston-area district.
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner embraces democratic socialism at Bernie Sanders rally in Portland
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner appeared alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Monday and echoed several Sanders-style progressive themes, criticizing five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, criticizing and U.S. weapons spending tied to conflicts in Gaza and Iran. Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee seeking to unseat Collins in November, made the fiery remarks during a “Fighting Oligarchy” rally led by Sanders in Portland — an event aimed at mobilizing progressive activists and expanding grassroots organizing efforts ahead of the midterm elections. The Portland event was one of Sanders’ Maine stops with Platner and gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson. During the rally, Platner leaned heavily into anti-corporate rhetoric, telling a crowd of cheering progressives they must build a “political revolution” and take back “what is ours.” “We are taking back what is ours. We’re going to take it back from the corporations that seek profit, no matter the cost from the billionaires for whom greed is the point, and from corrupt politicians like Susan Collins, corrupt politicians who have sold us out,” Platner said. ‘MAINE’S MAMDANI’: MAINE GOP CHIEF ISSUES WARNING ABOUT NEW CHALLENGER LOOKING TO OUST SUSAN COLLINS “It is a system that is the politics of Susan Collins, a politics that turns politicians into millionaires, but tells you to be grateful for crumbs.” Throughout the evening, Platner echoed Sanders’ economic talking points, accusing health insurance executives of “lining their pockets with our blood, sweat, and tears.” BERNIE SANDERS TO FORCE SENATE VOTE ON BLOCKING ARMS SALES TO ISRAEL He also made sharp comments regarding the Middle East, claiming American tax dollars are being weaponized to “blow up someone else’s children.” “Our tax dollars can build schools and hospitals in America instead of bombs to drop on them in Gaza and Iran,” he said. Sanders later took the stage and cast Platner’s election as a key moment for the progressive movement, telling supporters, “You elect Graham Platner senator, you’re going to transform America.” The Vermont senator explicitly tied Platner to his tax proposals targeting the ultra-wealthy. “I introduced legislation, which Graham will be by my side in fighting for, which says that we are going to impose a 5% annual wealth tax on 938 billionaires in America,” Sanders said. Sanders introduced legislation earlier this year proposing a 5% annual wealth tax on 938 U.S. billionaires. Platner was also portrayed as an ally in battling major tech billionaires such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, warning that a “handful of billionaires” could otherwise control the future of artificial intelligence and robotics. “Graham understands… we are not going to let a handful of billionaires control the future of this country,” Sanders said.
Trump calls on Arab nations to sign Abraham Accords
President Donald Trump is pressuring Muslim-majority nations to join the Abraham Accords if they want to participate in a developing Iran agreement, according to multiple reports. The Abraham Accords are a series of agreements aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations. PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS DEAL WITH IRAN IS ‘LARGELY NEGOTIATED’ Trump said Saturday that he urged Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan, Turkey and Jordan to normalize relations with Israel during a phone call with regional leaders. “I stated that, after all the work done by the United States to try and pull this very complex puzzle together, it should be mandatory that all of these Countries, at a minimum, simultaneously, sign onto the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. TRUMP SAYS MORE NATIONS LINING UP TO JOIN ABRAHAM ACCORDS AFTER KAZAKHSTAN The president also said he planned to speak with the leaders of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. The UAE and Bahrain became the first two nations to sign the accords in 2020. Trump also floated the idea that Iran could eventually become part of the Abraham Accords. US MILITARY IS ‘IRON SHIELD’ PROTECTING AMERICAN BASES, LIVES FROM IRAN PROXIES: HEGSETH “In speaking to numerous of the Great Leaders mentioned above, they would be honored, as soon as our Document is signed, to have the Islamic Republic of Iran as part of the Abraham Accords. Wow, now that would be something special,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. U.S. and Israeli officials do not expect the UAE to move forward on the issue until after Israel’s elections in September.
New Jersey governor, Democratic senator spend Memorial Day protesting ICE facility
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., met with the families of detainees being held at a migrant detention facility that critics say should be shut down amid “unacceptable” conditions and an ongoing hunger strike. Kim and Sherrill, both Democrats, have asked U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for access to the Delaney Hall center in Newark, where hundreds of illegal immigrants are being held. “I’m back at Delaney Hall with @GovSherrillNJ and other members of the NJ delegation to meet with families of detainees and listen to community advocates,” Kim wrote Monday on X. “We’re working together to make sure they’re heard and to speak out with them. Delaney Hall must be shut down immediately. ICE cannot be allowed to continue operating in this way.” BUMPY WEATHER OVER NEWARK: HOUSE DEMOCRATS COULD FACE CONSEQUENCES FOR DELANEY HALL INCIDENT Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said Kim personally called Secretary Markwayne Mullin, and that he was allowed in the facility to conduct his congressional oversight responsibilities. However, the spokesperson criticized Sherrill over he appearance at the detention center. “Governor Sherrill’s visit to Delaney Hall is nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day when visitation is currently suspended due to riots outside the facility,” the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Yesterday, approximately 125 agitators surrounded Delaney Hall Detention Facility, many carrying anti-ICE signs and Antifa flags. They formed a human chain around entrances to the facility and set up barricades, blocking all entries and exits.” On Sunday, protesters clashed with authorities outside the privately run facility — which was revamped as an immigration detention center last year — where some detainees have gone on a hunger strike to protest allegedly poor conditions inside. Sherrill said she was “deeply disturbed” by the conditions inside Delaney Hall, noting that she has always opposed private detention facilities and advocated against them. “I will continue to call for the closure of Delaney Hall because of reports like these,” she wrote Sunday on X. “I have contacted ICE to gain access to the facility and my office remains in close coordination with our federal delegation and with advocates, and I commend their continued oversight and work to hold DHS accountable.” Kim and Rep. Rob Menendez, D-N.J., arrived at Delaney Hall on Sunday but were denied entry. Critics of the facility allege that detainees endure squalid conditions and mistreatment from staff. US ATTORNEY ALINA HABBA ANNOUNCES REP. MCIVER HIT WITH FEDERAL CHARGES OVER NEWARK ICE CLASH “In sum, Delaney Hall is dangerous for those being detained, their loved ones, and all who care about immigrants’ rights, fundamental constitutional freedoms, and democracy,” the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey said in February. “Yet in the face of these cruel conditions, community members and families have united in fierce opposition to Delaney Hall’s existence and the abuse of human beings therein.” All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, soap, and toiletries, “DHS said. “Illegal aliens also have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the agency said. “Certified dieticians evaluate meals. In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.” “It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody,” the statement continued. “This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.” Democrats have repeatedly called for Delaney Hall to be closed. In May 2025, protesters — including three congressional lawmakers and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka — gathered outside the facility and clashed with authorities. They allegedly rushed past security through the gates, which had opened to allow an ICE bus inside. U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., faces a federal three-count indictment for allegedly assaulting, resisting and impeding federal law enforcement officers that day. She allegedly shoved and struck officers to prevent the arrest of Baraka. At the time, then-Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin categorized some of the detainees inside Delaney Hall as “murderers, terrorists, child rapists and MS-13 gang members” while questioning why the lawmakers continued to advocate for them.