Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver (Department of Homeland Security)
Investigators say McIver assaulted two federal agents at the Delaney Hall, according to the charging documents.
Prosecutors say one victim was an HSI agent, and the other was an ICE agent."
Law enforcement says McIver assaulted the agents when she "slammed her forearm into the body of a uniformed HSI agent. & reached out and tried to restrain the agent by forcibly grabbing him." Then, after Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested, McIver allegedly "pushed an ICE officer & used her forearms to forcibly strike the agent."
BLUE STATE POLITICAL BATTLE INTENSIFIES AFTER DEM MAYOR'S ARREST AT ICE FACILITY: 'OUTRAGED'
Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., speaks during a news conference with the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the Capitol Visitor Center to oppose Elon Musk gaining access to the Treasury Department's federal payment system, on Thursday, February 6, 2025 (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
In a statement after the charges were announced, McIver said that she is "thankful for the outpouring of support" she’s gotten and that the "truth" will be "laid out clearly in court."
"Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district. We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka," she stated.
"The charges against me are purely political—they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight," McIver added.
Security personnel stand in front of Delaney Hall, a recently re-opened immigration detention center, in Newark, N.J., Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (Seth Wenig/AP Photo)
Baraka had a federal trespassing charge against him that was dropped by acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba, but the mayor said he stands in solidarity with McIver.
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"Representative LaMonica McIver assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111 (a)(1)," Habba said in a letter shared on X Monday. "That conduct cannot be overlooked by the chief federal law enforcement official in the State of New Jersey, and it is my Constitutional obligation to ensure that our federal law enforcement is protected when executing their duties."
Fox News Digital reached out to the McIver campaign for comments about the texts and both the campaign and her official office about the charging documents. The Democrat represents a deep blue district that includes Newark.
Cameron Arcand is a politics writer at Fox News Digital in Washington D.C. Story tips can be sent to Cameron.Arcand@Fox.com and on Twitter: @cameron_arcand
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-lawmaker-fundraises-off-federal-assault-charges-after-ice-facility-confrontation-doing-my-job