Democrat Defiant After Not Guilty Plea: 'They Will Not Intimidate Me'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Representative LaMonica McIver pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers during a May 9 congressional oversight visit to a New Jersey detention center. The charges stem from a confrontation outside Delaney Hall in Newark, a 1,000-bed privately run facility used by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
McIver, a Democrat representing New Jersey's 10th District, appeared in a Newark federal courtroom before U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper. "Your honor, I plead not guilty," McIver said during the brief hearing. The judge scheduled her trial to begin on November 10.
Congresswoman Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., exits the grounds at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J,
Congresswoman Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., exits the grounds at Delaney Hall, an ICE detention facility, May 9, 2025, in Newark, N.J,
Associated Press
Outside the courthouse, flanked by supporters including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and other elected officials, McIver remained defiant. "They will not intimidate me. They will not stop me from doing my job," she declared.
McIver's attorney, former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said the congresswoman maintains her innocence. "She pleaded not guilty because she is not guilty," he said, adding that federal agents had escalated tensions at Delaney Hall during the May visit. A request for comment from the office of interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, who filed the charges, went unanswered Wednesday.
The indictment, announced earlier this month, accuses McIver of three counts: two felonies for assaulting, resisting, or impeding federal officers—each carrying up to eight years in prison—and a misdemeanor with a maximum sentence of one year. The case marks a rare federal criminal prosecution of a sitting member of Congress for conduct unrelated to financial or political corruption.
Video footage released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver inside a fenced area of the facility, surrounded by uniformed officers and other officials. The video captures a chaotic scene in which McIver moves through a gate and joins others shouting in support of Mayor Baraka, who was being arrested just outside the fence. At one point, McIver's left and right elbows are seen making contact with an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive-green uniform labeled "Police."
Whether the physical contact was deliberate or incidental remains unclear. The complaint alleges that McIver "slammed" her forearm into a federal agent and attempted to restrain him. The indictment further claims she wrapped her arms around Mayor Baraka in an effort to prevent his arrest and again alleges that she slammed and grabbed an agent.
Baraka was charged with trespassing during the same incident, though the charge was later dropped. He has since filed a lawsuit against Habba, accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing law enforcement. "They're using law enforcement as an appendage of their ideology to begin to hammer us," Baraka said.
"This is what happens when you stand up to them," McIver said Wednesday, warning that others who challenge the Trump administration might face similar treatment.
Several Democratic lawmakers, including New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, have criticized the charges and defended McIver, citing a 2019 appropriations law that authorizes members of Congress to conduct unannounced oversight visits at immigration facilities.
McIver, 39, joined Congress in September following a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr., and won a full term in November. A lifelong Newark resident, she previously served as City Council President from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the city's public school system.
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
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