NJ Rep. LaMonica McIver Hit With Federal Charges Over Clash At ICE Detention Facility, Faces 17 Years In Prison

Authored by Debra Heine via American Greatness,

Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) was indicted on Tuesday for allegedly interfering with federal officers during a scuffle outside an immigration detention facility in Newark, last month.

US Attorney Alina Habba announced on X that a Newark federal grand jury had returned a three-count indictment charging McIver with “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers.”

The congresswoman faces up to 17 years in prison for her aggressive conduct.

“This indictment has a maximum penalty of 8 years for Count One, an additional maximum penalty of 8 years for Count Two, and a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison for Count Three,” Habba said.

The incident happened during a protest on May 9 at the Delaney Hall detention center, a privately run facility under contract with ICE.  Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D) was arrested and charged with trespassing after entering the facility and refusing to leave.

An ugly confrontation ensued as several Democrat lawmakers surrounded Baraka in an attempt to shield the mayor from the ICE agents making the arrest.

An online video shows McIver,  a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, screaming at law enforcement officers as they tried to break through their blockade,  throwing punches and shoving the officers as they tried to regain control.

“After the Mayor was escorted outside the secured area, law enforcement officers made a second attempt to arrest him,” the Justice Department press release states.

At this time, someone in the crowd yelled ‘circle the mayor.’ McIver then faced the Mayor and placed her arms around him in an effort to prevent HSI from completing the arrest. During her continued attempts to thwart the arrest, McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and also reached out and tried to restrain that officer by forcibly grabbing him. McIver also used each of her forearms to forcibly strike a second officer.

In a statement posted on X, Habba said:

“While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve.”

In response, McIver repeated her assertion that she was “simply doing my job” and that the facts of the case “will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation.”

“This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump’s administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do, McIver said in a statement. “But it won’t work—I will not be intimidated. The facts are on our side, I will be entering a plea of not guilty, I’m grateful for the support of my community, and I look forward to my day in court.”

In a statement to Fox News, McIver’s attorney, Paul Fishman, dismissed the case as “political retaliation.”

“This prosecution is political retaliation against a dedicated public servant… We fully expect the Congresswoman’s exoneration,” he said.