NEWARK, NJ—U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement after a video posted online appears to show ICE agents violently dragging a man away from two small children on Wednesday in Harrison, New Jersey:
“No child should have to see this and these children will carry it with them long after the videos stop circulating and public outrage has moved away.
“ICE claims they are targeting violent criminals—the worst of the worst. This is not true and this was not an isolated incident. It demonstrates a culture of violence inside ICE, and Trump has made it worse.
“Time and time again we have watched agents detain people using excessive force and ignore basic rights and dignity, only to face zero consequences.
"Last week, I demanded that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin immediately remove all ICE agents brought on during the Department's 2025 hiring surge.
“We must have stronger oversight and accountability across the immigration detention system. That’s why earlier this year, I introduced comprehensive legislation that would ban private detention centers, end family detention, strengthen detention standards, improve oversight, and better protect the health, safety, and civil rights of people in ICE’s custody.
“My office is opening an inquiry with ICE to determine why this man was taken into custody, and why agents used this level of force in front of and with children.
“I will not support another penny for a reckless and out of control ICE, and my Republican colleagues in Congress must start standing with us to hold this rogue agency accountable for its attacks and contempt for the men, women, and children in our communities.”