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New York Post
20-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Alina Habba defends charging Rep. McIver over Newark ICE protests
Acting New Jersey US Attorney Alina Habba is defending filing felony charges against lefty New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver for the fracas at a Newark ICE detention center — telling The Post that McIver's alleged assault of federal agents was beyond the pale. 'This has nothing to do with congressional oversight, and it has nothing to do with politics. It's about respecting those who risk their lives to keep us safe,' said Habba, who was formerly President Trump's personal lawyer. 'This is not political, it's the law. I didn't create the law, my job is to enforce it.' 6 Acting New Jersey US Attorney Alina Habba defended filing felony charges against New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver after a protest at an ICE detention center in Newark on May 9, 2025. AP 6 Police in a scuffle with McIver at Delancey Hall. U.S District Court for the District of New Jersey She added that the charges show that her office is committed to supporting the federal agents who say McIver assaulted them. 'These charges make one thing abundantly clear: this administration will never back down from supporting law enforcement,' Habba said. 'Our commitment is resolute — we back the blue. I fully support congressional oversight, but I will never support violence or interfering with law enforcement.' McIver 'slammed her forearm into the body' of one Homeland Security agent and 'forcibly struck' an ICE agent during a protest at an ICE detention facility in Newark, according to the federal criminal complaint against her. 6 McIver allegedly 'slammed her forearm into the body' of one Homeland Security agent and 'forcibly struck' an ICE agent at the center. U.S District Court for the District of New Jersey 6 Habba said the arrest of McIver was not about politics. U.S District Court for the District of New Jersey The two-count felony charges, filed Monday in federal court in New Jersey, accuse McIver, 38, of using force to interfere with federal agents earlier this month during a protest that was joined by several other Democratic lawmakers. She faces up to eight years in prison if convicted of the charges. McIver has argued that she was using congressional oversight to enter the facility — but Habba, who announced the charges on Monday, said 'no one is above the law' when it comes to assaulting cops. McIver, who has represented New Jersey's 10th Congressional District since last September, slammed the charges as 'purely political' and blamed the ICE agents at the scene for escalating the confrontation. 6 Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was also arrested at the detention center, but charges were later dismissed. Robert Mecea She said the charges 'mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight,' the congresswoman said in a statement. 'This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right. But Habba said she only filed charges after 'efforts to resolve the matter without filing charges failed.' A source familiar with the investigation said hours of yet-to-be-released bodycam footage shows that McIver was 'insanely aggressive, elbowing, shoving, impeding' federal agents. 'She didn't own what she did,' according to the source. 6 Habba at federal court in Newark for Baraka's hearing on May 15, 2025. Photo byInvestigators used bodycam footage, as well as aerial camera stills to show McIver's actions during the melee. They say the images offer proof that she assaulted the federal officers and tried to stop them from arresting Newark Mayor Ras Baraka at the protest. McIver allegedly shouted 'Hell no! Hell no! Hell no!' as they tried to arrest Baraka, who is a top candidate for New Jersey governor in June's Democratic primary. 'McIver slammed her forearm into the body of … a uniformed HSI agent. She also reached out and tried to restrain [the agent] by forcibly grabbing him,' the complaint details. After the mayor was arrested, she allegedly 'forcibly struck' an ICE agent. Baraka, as well as Reps. Robert Menendez Jr. (D-NJ) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) were among those who attempted to barge into the Delaney Hall Detention Center on May 9, demanding the facility's closure. Baraka was arrested at the scene for trespassing and later released, with charges against him dismissed this week. McIver didn't take the chance to avoid charges, the source said, while Baraka 'understood the severity of what was going on.'
Axios
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Federal judge temporarily blocks deportations to Libya
The Trump administration can't immediately deport undocumented immigrants to Libya as it would " clearly violate" an earlier order blocking U.S. officials on sending people to countries they're not citizens of, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday. Why it matters: Sending people to Libya, which a 2023 U.S. State Department report says has "harsh and life-threatening prison conditions," is a sign the Trump administration is stepping up its hardline immigration policy of deporting people to third countries, even in the face of court orders. Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy issued granted the plaintiffs' request for a temporary restraining order"to prevent non-citizen removals to third countries, including but not limited to Libya and Saudia Arabia, without prior written notice and a meaningful opportunity to raise fear-based claims." Among those affected are people from the Philippines, Vietnam and Laos, per a motion, filed in U.S District Court in Massachusetts. They're being set for removal "without any reasonable fear screening, let alone a fifteen-day window to file a motion to reopen with the immigration court to contest any negative reasonable fear determination," the plaintiffs argue. Representatives for the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment on Wednesday evening. The intrigue: The Tripoli-based government of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah said in a statement posted on social media it "firmly denies the existence of any agreement or coordination with US authorities regarding the deportation of migrants to Libya."
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Yahoo
Winton Hills grocery store firebomber sentenced to prison
The man convicted of firebombing a Winton Hills grocery store in 2023 was sentenced to five and a half years in prison Tuesday. Donald Donatelli pleaded guilty in federal court in Cincinnati to the attack in October of last year. According to court documents, he has never said why he did it. Prosecutors said Donatelli "cased" the Tree Top Grocery on Gwinnett Road on Nov. 26, 2023, entered the store and walked around. Then, about four hours later, he returned, lit a rag hanging out of a bottle filled with gasoline, and smashed in the entryway of the store. The owners scrambled to put out the fire with water bottles they sell in their store, according to court documents. No was injured, but fire investigators determined the blaze caused $330,000 in damage. The incident was filmed on Snapchat by his co-defendant Angela Schweitzer. Schweitzer pleaded guilty to related charges in January. She has not yet been sentenced. Prosecutors said Donatelli tried to get Schweitzer to delete the video and attempted to create an alibi for himself. It was an anonymous tip that led investigators to Donatelli who was arrested in Clermont County following the fire on charges of theft and receiving stolen property. "While there is no excuse for such acts, the defendant has never offered an explanation for his firebomb attack," prosecutors wrote in court documents. "The victims have repeatedly asked why they were targeted for such brutality." Prosecutors said Donatelli has shown no remorse for the attack. U.S District Court Judge Matthew W. McFarland ordered that Donatelli's sentence begin the completion his sentence for the offenses in Clermont County. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Man convicted in Winton Hills grocery firebombing sentenced to prison
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Washington federal judge pauses Trump's birthright citizenship executive order
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A federal judge in Washington State granted a preliminary injunction — or a pause — on President Trump's executive order to end birthright citizenship on Thursday, following a lawsuit from a group of attorneys general challenging the order. Under the preliminary injunction, the federal government cannot deny birthright citizenship to the children of immigrants, Washington State Attorney General Nick Brown – who led the attorneys general lawsuit – explained. Brown noted that the order protects immigrant families from threats of children losing citizenship as the lawsuit continues. The in the U.S District Court for the Western District of Washington, with attorneys general from Oregon, Arizona, and Illinois joining the complaint against the order. Portland shoppers impacted by nationwide Trader Joe's egg purchase limit The case was consolidated with a similar lawsuit filed by the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project on behalf of two pregnant mothers and a proposed class including pregnant people in Washington who would be impacted by the executive order. 'Our argument is simple and true — birthright citizenship is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution,' Attorney General Nick Brown said. 'The president may not care about the Constitution or the rule of law, but we do.' The attorneys general argue that Trump's executive order violates the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution along with the federal Immigration and Nationality Act. BOOM! Rare thundersnow caught on camera in Astoria If Trump's order is allowed to stand, Brown said it would cause thousands of newborns every year to lose their ability to 'fully and fairly participate in American society as citizens,' even though the Constitution grants citizenship for people born in the U.S. This marks the second federal judge to indefinitely block the executive order following an injunction ordered by a federal judge in Maryland. 'It has become ever more apparent that, to our president, the rule of law is but an impediment to his policy goals. The rule of law is, according to him, something to navigate around or simply ignore, whether that be for political or personal gain,' U.S. District Judge John Coughenour said as he announced his ruling, as reported by The Hill, noting the judge previously halted the order for two weeks, which was set to expire Thursday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from mostly ending birthright citizenship
Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A federal judge in Maryland has blocked nationwide enforcement of President Donald Trump's executive order ending automatic birthright citizenship for children born to migrants in the United States. U.S District Court Judge Deborah L. Boardman of Maryland issued a preliminary injunction Wednesday blocking enforcement of Trump's Jan. 20 executive order ending birthright citizenship for children born in the United States if at least one parent is not either a citizen or a permanent legal resident of the nation. The injunction is to remain in effect until the federal court rules on the case. "The executive order conflicts with the plain language of the 14th Amendment, contradicts 125-year-old binding Supreme Court precedent and runs counter to our nation's 250-year history of citizenship by birth," Boardman said in her ruling on plaintiffs' motion to block the executive order's enforcement. "The United States Supreme Court has resoundingly rejected the president's interpretation of the citizenship clause of the 14thAmendment," said Boardman, who is an appointee of former President Joe Biden. "In fact, no court in the country has ever endorsed the president's interpretation," she said. "This court will not be the first." The five plaintiffs are pregnant women who are not legally recognized immigrants and two non-profits that work with migrants. Georgetown University's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection is one of them. Because one of the non-profit plaintiffs represents hundreds of pregnant women throughout the nation, Boardman ruled the injunction applies nationwide. Boardman said Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship likely would be declared unconstitutional. Before Boardman's ruling on the plaintiffs' injunction motion, the plaintiffs' attorney, Joseph Mead, argued that the 14th Amendment has guaranteed U.S. citizenship for all people born in the United States with only a few exceptions, such as children of foreign diplomats. Mead said the parents he represents have lived in the United States for decades with no intention of leaving. Trump administration attorney Eric Hamilton argued the14th Amendment's intent was not to create a way for undocumented migrants or temporary visitors to ensure U.S. citizenship for their unborn children by giving birth while in the United States. Boardman issued the nationwide injunction two weeks after a judge in the U.S. District Court for Western Washington state issued a temporary injunction protecting birthright citizenship for 14 days. Regardless of the outcome of the case before Boardman, the matter likely will be argued before the U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Va., and eventually the Supreme Court upon appeal by either party.
