LaMonica McIver to Plead Not Guilty After Altercation at ICE Facility

Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) is set to plead not guilty after being issued a three-count federal indictment connected to her alleged actions in May, caught on camera during an altercation at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Newark, New Jersey.

Earlier this month, a federal grand jury indicted the Democrat, charging her with forcibly impeding and interfering with ICE agents on May 9. She is expected to plead not guilty to the charges.

According to the Department of Justice, the indictment alleges that “McIver forcibly impeded and interfered with federal officers as they attempted to arrest an individual outside the Delaney Hall Federal Immigration Facility in Newark, New Jersey on May 9, 2025.”

It continues [emphasis added]:

McIver and two other members of Congress were present at the facility that day to conduct a congressional oversight inspection. The inspection coincided with an immigration protest rally. After the Congressional Delegation entered the secured area of the facility, the Mayor of Newark arrived and was given access to the secured area. A federal officer then informed the Mayor that he was not authorized to be in the facility’s secured area, and issued the Mayor multiple warnings that he would be arrested if he did not leave. McIver and other members of the Congressional Delegation overheard this conversation and challenged the officer, protesting the Mayor’s removal. When officers moved in to arrest the Mayor, McIver and others surrounded the Mayor and prevented the officers from handcuffing him.

It also alleges that “McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and also reached out and tried to restrain that officer by forcibly grabbing him” [emphasis added]:

After the Mayor was escorted outside the secured area, law enforcement officers made a second attempt to arrest him. At this time, someone in the crowd yelled “circle the mayor.” McIver then faced the Mayor and placed her arms around him in an effort to prevent HSI from completing the arrest. During her continued attempts to thwart the arrest, McIver slammed her forearm into the body of one law enforcement officer and also reached out and tried to restrain that officer by forcibly grabbing him. McIver also used each of her forearms to forcibly strike a second officer.

Homeland Security shared a video of the incident, showing the Democrat shoving officers during the altercation.

The Democrat faces up to 17 years in federal prison if convicted on all three charges, the first and second of which carry a maximum penalty of 8 years in prison each. The third count carries a maximum penalty of 1 year in prison.