Well in response to the Ice raids in Newark.

Democratic Congress members are promising action.

Representatives LaMonica McIverand Rob Menendez led a letter, along with other Democratic colleagues condemning last week's incident, demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security about the circumstances surrounding the raid at the Newark business and the well-being of the people involved.

Contending operations like that, quote, unnecessarily inflict harm on our communities and instill angst and fear in our families, neighbors, and friends.

Representative of LaMonica McIver joins me now.

Congresswoman, it's good to have you in person here to talk about this.

What details specifically from this incident are you asking for from the Department of Homeland Security?

What are you hoping to learn?

So we were just initially when we reached out, we were just hoping for general information.

You know, what was the basis of the raid?

You know, was there warming involved?

You know, how many individuals were, you know, questioned how many individuals were taken?

Just general information.

I mean, some of the response of response that we did get, kind of made it seem like we were asking for personal information about the individuals confidential information.

And we weren't we just wanted to know general information to be able to share that with the public so that they knew, you know, what was going on.

So that's, you know, exactly what we're looking for.

Yeah.

I mean, you cited harmful repercussions here.

Well, what have you learned from the community about how it's impacted them?

What are your concerns?

I mean, folks are extremely scared.

I mean, I've spent the last couple of days answering a ton of questions.

My office has seen an influx of questions regarding immigration regarding Ice.

I'm trying to find out more information.

I've heard from school principals about how students are scared to death to even walk home, you know, making sure that they have their green card, their documentation with them walking because they're scared that they'll get stopped by ice.

Or how about when they get home?

What parents are not there?

So there there has been just a large amount of concern.

I always say, like my daughter who's in the third grade, literally came home talking about how one of her classmates might be deported or their parents might be deported.

It's interesting.

We spoke with an Ice, spokesperson on background earlier today.

They said, you know, listen, this was not a raid.

It was all pre-planned.

This was part of a, you know, a pre-planned sort of routine situation that the fact that it happened during the first week of the new administration was happenstance.

How do you respond to that?

I mean, it would have been nice if they would have told us that, you know, or at least responded back to the inquiries from my office.

But they didn't.

We're just giving information via their Twitter or, you know, Instagram social media that they're putting out.

But I just think tell us about it.

You know, tell the folks who represent, these communities so that they can talk to their communities properly.

That's just basic professionalism.

You know, we've heard reports that the Trump administration have told these departments not to respond to us, not to answer questions.

That is unprofessional.

You know, we have a responsibility.

How do you balance, Congresswoman?

The national security needs that the administration says it's tackling with the the rights and safety of immigrants.

The spokesperson was able to convey to us that, three people were detained.

The U.S. military veteran was not detained.

Two were served with, notices to appear in court, with bond set, and one individual was a visa waiver overstay and was placed in removal proceedings.

This individual, they say, you know, should not be here.

Well, I support, you know, the fact that we have to address the problems with immigration, right?

I think we need to talk about Border patrol and safety.

But you also have to do things humanely.

You know, we have to do things properly.

I think when we talk about folks entering or an agency entering a business which anyone can into a business, but then, you know, going to the back of the business and checking restrooms and banging on, like those things without proper documentation, which was the reports that we've gotten.

That's a problem.

You know, we have to do things that are proper.

And I just think, you know, at this point we're not there.

Like, because we're not getting proper information, because we're not, you know, getting the details that we need.

How am I to say things are happening properly?

I'm getting information per the continuous that I represent.

And when we reach out to the departments, if they don't share that with us or share share information with us, you know what?

What are we to assume when we all we have is the word of the residents that we represent.

So I just think, you know, we have to do things properly.

We have to, you know, immigrants have rights as well.

Like, not because it's written down, but because that's what we should be doing as humans, treating folks with respect and some dignity.

And, you know, we see that coming out from all of the other countries as well, just, you know, overnight we saw the situation with Colombia and the United States.

You know, the Colombian president is saying, look, you're not treating people well when they arrive here.

They haven't been fed.

They haven't, you know, had access to the restroom.

Those are those are problems, you know, that we don't have, you know, real details about, you know, because we're not getting information from the administration.

So definitely we have to have some balance and we have to handle things properly.

Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, thanks so much for coming in.

Thank you for having me.