Overview

• Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver for assaulting, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement under Title 18, Section 111(a)(1).
• The charges stem from a May 9 visit by McIver and other New Jersey Democrats to the Delaney Hall ICE detention center, where Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was also arrested but later had his trespass charge dismissed.
• Body camera footage released by the Department of Homeland Security allegedly shows McIver making physical contact with ICE agents, though her defense claims the footage misrepresents her actions.
• McIver has denied the charges, calling them politically motivated and an attempt to deter congressional oversight of federal immigration enforcement practices.
• House Republicans are pursuing punitive measures against McIver, including censure and removal from committee assignments, while Democrats argue the charges are an abuse of executive power aimed at suppressing dissent.