Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) faces federal charges for allegedly assaulting law enforcement during a May 9 incident at the Delaney Hall ICE detention center in Newark, New Jersey. The Department of Justice, under Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, announced the charges on May 19, citing violations of Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 111(a)(1), which pertains to assaulting, impeding, or interfering with federal officers .
The confrontation occurred when McIver, alongside Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, joined Newark Mayor Ras Baraka in an attempted oversight visit to the facility. Video footage reportedly shows McIver making physical contact with officers during the altercation .
While Mayor Baraka was initially charged with trespassing, those charges have since been dropped. Habba stated that efforts were made to resolve the matter with McIver without pressing charges, but those attempts were unsuccessful .
McIver denies any wrongdoing, asserting that the charges are politically motivated and misrepresent her actions during the oversight visit . House Democratic leaders have criticized the charges as an overreach and an attempt to intimidate members of Congress.
