As part of the left's resistance to President Donald Trump's ambitious immigration agenda, some public officials have decided to engage in conduct many argue is against the law, and administration officials are now calling those individuals out for their defiance.

On Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem accused a cadre of Democrats of committing felonies during their highly controversial and contentious visit to a New Jersey Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, as The Hill reports.

Confrontation in Newark

The situation that prompted Noem's comments unfolded last week at the Delaney Hall Detention Center in Newark, a site that currently houses criminal illegal immigrants suspected of MS-13 gang affiliation and those alleged to have committed offenses ranging from rape to murder, as the New York Post reported.

Reps. Robert Menendez, Jr., LaMonica McIver, and Bonnie Watson Coleman turned up at the facility to demand its closure, along with Newark Democrat Mayor Ras Baraka.

Though the politicians claimed that they were attempting to “conduct lawful congressional oversight” of the conditions at the ICE detention center, things escalated when they clashed with federal agents at a security checkpoint, shouting in the employees' faces and trying to elbow their way past barriers.

While Baraka was arrested for his actions at the facility, the members of Congress were not, but according to administration officials, that could still change.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said after the incident that the arrest of the legislators was “definitely on the table,” noting that the department has “body camera footage of some of these members of Congress assaulting our ICE enforcement officers, including body-slamming a female ICE officer,” emphasizing the severity of the situation.

Noem weighs in

During an appearance on Fox News on Tuesday, Noem held little back in reacting to the scene that unfolded in Newark, accusing the Democrats involved of unlawful acts.

“This wasn't oversight, this was committing felonies,” Noem declared.

The secretary went on, “This was going out and attacking people who stand up for the rule of law. And it was absolutely horrible,”

Consequences to follow?

While Noem and McLaughlin clearly believe that punishment is in order for the Democrats who participated in the melee outside the Newark facility, it remains unclear whether and what type of consequences may be sought.

Arrest remains a possibility, as McLaughlin noted and Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) has introduced a resolution designed to strip the lawmakers involved in the incident of their committee assignments.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) acknowledged the existence of three potential outcomes the lower chamber could impose, namely, censure, removal of committee assignments, and expulsion, which he noted was unlikely due to the current makeup of the body, as Fox News reported.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries struck a defiant tone in defense of his Democrat colleagues on Tuesday, suggesting that their arrest by the Trump DOJ would cross a “red line” that he believes the administration would “dare not cross,” but as some powerful voices in the GOP -- presumably including Noem -- want to see a principled demonstration that nobody is above the law, the ultimate outcome in this controversy is something that remains to be seen.