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Newark Congresswoman Faces Felony Assault Charges
New Jersey Congresswoman LaMonica McIver has been charged with felony assault of a federal officer following a protest earlier this month. The incident occurred outside Newark’s Delaney Hall ICE detention center during a clash between protesters and law enforcement.
Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced the charges against McIver, alleging the congresswoman “assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement” on May 9th.
The charges stem from an altercation that took place during the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was attempting to join McIver and other members of Congress at the detention center for an official oversight visit. Trespassing charges against Mayor Baraka have been dropped.
According to a sworn affidavit from a Homeland Security special agent, McIver and others formed a human shield to prevent Baraka’s arrest. The affidavit alleges McIver struck a Homeland Security agent with her forearm and attempted to restrain the agent. It further claims she pushed and struck an ICE officer after Baraka was taken into custody.
McIver has vehemently denied the charges, calling them “purely political” and a misrepresentation of the events. Her attorney, Paul J.
Fishman, echoed her sentiments, criticizing the decision to prosecute and alleging that ICE agents escalated a peaceful situation. McIver maintains the charges are intended to discourage legislative oversight of ICE facilities and expressed confidence that the truth will emerge in court.
Adding to the controversy, McIver stated she learned of the charges through a social media post by Habba, a departure from standard Justice Department procedure. Typically, charges are filed and unsealed before any public announcements.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey has not commented on this unusual sequence of events.
Video footage released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver at the scene, but the footage does not definitively corroborate the specific allegations against her.