New Jersey Democrat faces indictment over ICE facility skirmish

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-New Jersey, was indicted on three counts related to a confrontation with law enforcement last month at a Newark immigration detention center.

Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced the indictment on June 10.

"While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve," Habba said in a post on X.

McIver was visiting the facility along with fellow Democratic Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez. An altercation occurred after officers arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who attempted to join the trio in their visit.

McIver is said to have then "slammed her forearms" into immigration officers, according to the criminal complaint against her. If convicted, she could face up to 17 years in prison for all three counts.

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The congresswoman has denied the accusations, saying they are unjustified.

“The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation,” McIver said in a statement reacting to the indictment.

Members of Congress, by law, can visit immigrant detention facilities unannounced. 

McIver's lawyer, Paul Fishman, who served as U.S. attorney in New Jersey during the Obama administration, said that the "legal process will expose this prosecution for what it truly is — political retaliation against a dedicated public servant who refuses to shy away from her oversight responsibilities."

The indictment came the same day voters in New Jersey took to the polls to pick their Democratic and Republican nominees for governor. Baraka, whose arrest sparked McIver's standoff with officers, ran for the Democratic nomination but lost to Rep. Mikie Sherrill.

Contributing: Sarah Wire, USA TODAY; Katie Sobko, NorthJersey.com