On Monday, the Department of Justice announced that Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) has been charged in connection with a scuffle at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, earlier this month.

“Today my office has charged Congresswoman McIver with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement,” Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said in a post on X.

McIver joined other House Democrats from New Jersey, demanding they be allowed to conduct “oversight” of the ICE detention facility at Delaney Hall on May 9. They were there with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat running for New Jersey governor who claims the ICE site was opened improperly.

A breach of the facility ensued, with ICE body-cam footage showing part of the confrontation between the New Jersey Democrats and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.

Baraka was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor charge of trespass, but Habba said in a statement on Monday that her office agreed to dismiss it. She even offered to personally give him a tour of Delaney Hall in the “spirit of public interest.”

Yet the “dismissal against the mayor is not the end of this matter,” Habba said. “Congressional oversight is an important constitutional function and one that I fully support. However, that is not at issue in this case.”

Habba said McIver had been charged because her alleged 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.”

The charges are sure to escalate animosity between Democrats and the Trump administration in the already-tense debate on illegal immigration and deportations.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said last week it would cross a “red line” if his colleagues involved in the incident were to be arrested by federal authorities or get sanctioned.

McIver released a statement in response to being charged.

“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,” McIver said.

“The charges against me are purely political — they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight,” she added. “This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right. I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received and I look forward to the ruth being laid out clearly in court.”

Habba said she “persistently made efforts to address these issues without bringing criminal charges and have given Representative McIver every opportunity to come to a resolution, but she has unfortunately declined.” She concluded: “No one is above the law — politicians or otherwise. It is the job of this office to uphold justice impartially, regardless of who you are. Now we will let the justice system work.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also issued a post on X concerning the situation.

“After a thorough review of the video footage of Delaney Hall and a full investigation from HSI, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey has made the determination to charge Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement officers,” Noem said.

“No one is above the law. If any person, regardless of political party, influence or status, assaults a law enforcement officer as we witnessed Congresswoman McIver do, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she added. “We thank our brave ICE law enforcement officers for their service to this great nation.”

DHS previously said two other House Democrats — New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson-Coleman and Rob Menendez — “stormed the gate and broke into” the facility in Newark that day.

House Republicans have introduced measures to punish the Democrats involved in the altercation, including a censure resolution against McIver and a resolution to strip them of their committee assignments.

Fox News reporter Chad Pergram shared on social media that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he believes there “needs to be an appropriate measure taken” as the “video doesn’t lie,” a reference to ICE body-cam footage showing part of the confrontation between the New Jersey Democrats and DHS agents. He added, “I think it was wildly inappropriate for those members to do that and we’ll have to take appropriate action.”

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On Monday, the Department of Justice announced that Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) has been charged in connection with a scuffle at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in Newark, New Jersey, earlier this month.

“Today my office has charged Congresswoman McIver with violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement,” Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba said in a post on X.

McIver joined other House Democrats from New Jersey, demanding they be allowed to conduct “oversight” of the ICE detention facility at Delaney Hall on May 9. They were there with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, a Democrat running for New Jersey governor who claims the ICE site was opened improperly.

A breach of the facility ensued, with ICE body-cam footage showing part of the confrontation between the New Jersey Democrats and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents.

Baraka was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor charge of trespass, but Habba said in a statement on Monday that her office agreed to dismiss it. She even offered to personally give him a tour of Delaney Hall in the “spirit of public interest.”

Yet the “dismissal against the mayor is not the end of this matter,” Habba said. “Congressional oversight is an important constitutional function and one that I fully support. However, that is not at issue in this case.”

Habba said McIver had been charged because her alleged 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.”

The charges are sure to escalate animosity between Democrats and the Trump administration in the already-tense debate on illegal immigration and deportations.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said last week it would cross a “red line” if his colleagues involved in the incident were to be arrested by federal authorities or get sanctioned.

McIver released a statement in response to being charged.

“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,” McIver said.

“The charges against me are purely political — they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight,” she added. “This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right. I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received and I look forward to the ruth being laid out clearly in court.”

Habba said she “persistently made efforts to address these issues without bringing criminal charges and have given Representative McIver every opportunity to come to a resolution, but she has unfortunately declined.” She concluded: “No one is above the law — politicians or otherwise. It is the job of this office to uphold justice impartially, regardless of who you are. Now we will let the justice system work.”

DHS Secretary Kristi Noem also issued a post on X concerning the situation.

“After a thorough review of the video footage of Delaney Hall and a full investigation from HSI, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey has made the determination to charge Congresswoman LaMonica McIver for assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement officers,” Noem said.

“No one is above the law. If any person, regardless of political party, influence or status, assaults a law enforcement officer as we witnessed Congresswoman McIver do, you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she added. “We thank our brave ICE law enforcement officers for their service to this great nation.”

DHS previously said two other House Democrats — New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson-Coleman and Rob Menendez — “stormed the gate and broke into” the facility in Newark that day.

House Republicans have introduced measures to punish the Democrats involved in the altercation, including a censure resolution against McIver and a resolution to strip them of their committee assignments.

Fox News reporter Chad Pergram shared on social media that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said he believes there “needs to be an appropriate measure taken” as the “video doesn’t lie,” a reference to ICE body-cam footage showing part of the confrontation between the New Jersey Democrats and DHS agents. He added, “I think it was wildly inappropriate for those members to do that and we’ll have to take appropriate action.”

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