NEWARK, N.J. — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) was charged Monday evening with assaulting and obstructing federal officers during a May 9 visit to the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark. The charges were announced by acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, formerly a personal attorney to President Donald Trump.
McIver had joined fellow Democrats from New Jersey’s congressional delegation — Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez Jr. — on an oversight tour of the ICE facility. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka accompanied the group but was denied entry and subsequently arrested for trespassing. Those charges were later dropped.
According to officials, the incident escalated when McIver attempted to bypass ICE agents, leading to what Homeland Security sources and surveillance footage reportedly confirm was a physical altercation. The Department of Justice moved forward with charges, but critics noted the DOJ did so without first consulting its Public Integrity Section — raising questions among legal observers about whether political considerations played a role.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem weighed in on the charges against McIver, saying, “no one is above the law.”
“If any person, regardless of political party, influence or status, assaults a law enforcement officer as we witnessed Congresswoman McIver do, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the secretary wrote. “We thank our brave ICE law enforcement officers for their service to this great nation.”
Fox News has learned that McIver must turn herself in as soon as possible, though it is up to the magistrate on the specifics of when she must turn herself in and how.
Prosecutors also told Fox News that McIver faces several felony charges, so she is looking at possible time behind bars.
McIver has denounced the prosecution as a partisan maneuver designed to chill congressional scrutiny of immigration enforcement. She accused ICE agents of initiating the confrontation and said the charges are intended to stifle accountability efforts.
“Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district,” she wrote in a post on X. “We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka.”
The indictment also directly challenges comments made last week by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who warned of a red line and consequences if Democratic lawmakers were arrested. That line, it appears, has now been crossed.
Republicans have largely applauded the charges as a necessary defense of law enforcement. Democrats, meanwhile, see the case as a politically charged attempt to intimidate elected officials investigating federal agencies.
The case is expected to further inflame partisan divides over immigration policy, executive oversight, and the treatment of federal law enforcement personnel.
READ NEXT: Musk’s Move Promises To Redefine America’s Defense Capabilities
Just wondering why you refer to Habba as a “Trump ally” and you didn’t refer to Alvin Bragg or Leticia James as Biden allies. Typical double standard and obvious bias.