Rep. LaMonica McIver denies assault charges after a tense Newark ICE visit, calling the incident politically motivated and blaming ICE for escalation.

McIver Appears in Court Following ICE Facility Altercation

New Jersey Representative LaMonica McIver appeared virtually before a federal magistrate judge on Wednesday following charges of assaulting two federal agents at a Newark immigration detention facility earlier this month. The charges stem from a May 9 oversight visit that McIver conducted with fellow lawmakers, which escalated into a confrontation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel.

McIver was joined at the Delaney Hall facility by Reps. Robert Menendez and Bonnie Watson Coleman, along with Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was briefly arrested during the incident but later had all charges dropped. The visit, according to McIver, was part of her lawful congressional oversight responsibilities.

The judge released McIver on her own recognizance and restricted her travel to domestic locations unless for official duties, in which case prior government notice is required. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 11. McIver and her legal team had requested, and were granted, permission to attend the proceedings remotely.

“I think the charges are absurd,” McIver said in a CNN interview on Tuesday. “We were there to do our jobs. This is our obligation. The entire situation was escalated by ICE.” She described the encounter as unnecessarily hostile and maintained that federal agents provoked the clash.

Prosecutors Detail Allegations Against McIver

According to the Justice Department, McIver assaulted two law enforcement officers during the encounter—one a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agent and the other an ICE officer. The criminal complaint alleges she “slammed her forearm” into one agent and used physical force to restrain and strike both officers.

Body camera footage, cited in the charging documents, reportedly captured McIver’s actions, including pushing an ICE officer and creating a “human shield” during the arrest of Mayor Baraka. Prosecutors argue that McIver physically obstructed officers who were attempting to detain Baraka after he was denied access to the facility and refused to comply with multiple directives to leave the premises.

McIver has strongly rejected the charges, characterizing them as politically motivated. In a public statement, she stated, “We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities... Our visit should have been peaceful. Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation.”

Witnesses cited by the Associated Press reported that the confrontation began when Baraka attempted to accompany the congressional delegation into the facility but was denied entry. A verbal dispute reportedly escalated when Baraka defied federal instructions, prompting agents to initiate an arrest—at which point McIver and others intervened.

McIver’s case has drawn attention not only for its legal implications but also for its political context, with the congresswoman alleging broader issues of federal overreach and targeting of elected officials engaged in oversight. “If I’m going to be charged with a crime for doing my job, it just speaks to where we’re headed in this country,” she said.

The outcome of the preliminary hearing could set the tone for a broader debate on the balance between federal enforcement powers and congressional oversight, particularly around immigration detention practices. Until then, McIver is continuing her duties while preparing to contest the charges in court.