NJ Rep. LaMonica McIver Indicted on Assault of Federal Officers Charges
TL/DR –
Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey has been indicted by a New Jersey grand jury on three charges of assaulting federal law enforcement officers during a clash last month at a Newark ICE detention center. In May, she was also charged with two counts of “assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement”. The charges stem from an incident where McIver and others attempted to block the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at the detention center by creating a human shield; McIver allegedly used physical force against law enforcement officers during this incident.
Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver Indicted for Assaulting Federal Officers during ICE Detention Center Clash
New Jersey Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted Tuesday by a grand jury on three charges of assaulting federal law enforcement during a conflict last month at a Newark ICE detention center, New Jersey U.S. interim Attorney Alina Habba announced on X.
In May, Habba revealed McIver was charged with two counts of “assaulting, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement,” following a clash at Delaney Hall detention center that triggered protest about the center’s unsafe and illegal conditions.
On May 9, McIver, two other Congress members, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, visited the 10,000 bed detention center. Protests led to a scuffle with law enforcement, resulting in Baraka’s arrest. Charges against him have since been dropped.
A special agent with the Newark division of the Department of Homeland Security alleges McIver attempted to block Baraka’s arrest violently, and later assaulted an ICE officer.
Footage posted online by DHS shows McIver at the Delaney Hall fence as the arrest occurs, appearing to elbow her way past an officer.
Indictment details were not immediately available on the federal docket in New Jersey.
McIver plans to plead not guilty, calling the indictment “political intimidation”. She claims the charges are an attempt by the Trump administration to avoid accountability for chaos caused by ICE.
Alina Habba is a known Trump ally and his personal attorney in his New York criminal trial.
Contributions to this breaking news story were made by Jaala Brown and Jacob Rosen, a CBS News reporter focusing on the Department of Justice.
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