A federal grand jury has returned an indictment against New Jersey Representative LaMonica McIver, charging her with allegedly assaulting law enforcement officers outside an immigration detention facility last month. This significant legal development was announced by officials on Tuesday, emphasizing the seriousness of the charges she faces.
The indictment includes three counts that accuse the Democratic congresswoman of forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers at the facility. New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba elaborated on this in a post on X, stating, "As I have stated in the past, it is my Constitutional obligation as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Officer for New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected when executing their duties."
Habba continued, highlighting that while individuals have the right to express their opinions regarding specific policies, such expressions should not endanger law enforcement personnel or the communities they serve.
The indictment follows a criminal complaint filed by Habba's office against McIver last month. McIver has publicly declared her intention to fight the charges, asserting that she plans to plead not guilty. In a statement on X, she claimed, "The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation."
McIver expressed her belief that the indictment is an unjustified action, stating, "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. But it won't work -- I will not be intimidated."
The events leading to the indictment took place on May 9, when McIver and several other members of Congress visited Delaney Hall, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility located in Newark, New Jersey, for oversight purposes. Tensions reportedly escalated when a federal officer instructed Newark Mayor Ras Baraka to vacate a secured area of the facility or face arrest. According to prosecutors, this led to a physical confrontation.
During the incident, McIver allegedly attempted to obstruct the arrest by slamming her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and forcibly grabbing him in an attempt to restrain him. The Department of Justice stated that McIver also struck a second officer with each of her forearms.
Following the filing of the criminal complaint, McIver characterized the charges against her as politically motivated. "The charges against me are purely political -- they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight," she said.
Top House Democrats responded to the situation with a joint statement last month, defending McIver and condemning what they described as an illegitimate abuse of power. They asserted, "An attack on one of us is an attack on the American people. House Democrats will respond vigorously in the days to come at a time, place, and manner of our choosing."
If convicted, the maximum penalty for the charges outlined in the indictment could range from one to eight years in prison, according to U.S. Attorney Habba. In a separate incident, Mayor Baraka was arrested at the facility and charged with trespassing, although Habba later dropped the charge.
