U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver pleads not guilty to assault charges stemming from immigration centre visit
NEWARK, N.J. — U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing her of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention centre during a congressional oversight visit at the facility.
'They will not intimidate me. They will not stop me from doing my job,' she said outside the courthouse in Newark after the brief hearing.
McIver, a Democrat, was charged by interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, a Republican appointed by President Donald Trump, following the May 9 visit to Newark's Delaney Hall. Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses the privately owned, 1,000-bed facility as a detention centre.
This month she was indicted on three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. Two of the counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. The third is a misdemeanor with a maximum punishment of one year in prison.
During Wednesday's hearing, McIver stood and told U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper: 'Your honor, I plead not guilty.' The judge set a Nov. 10 trial date.
Outside the courthouse, McIver warned that anyone who pushes back against the Trump administration will find themselves in a similar position.
McIver's lawyer, former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said McIver pleaded not guilty because she is not guilty. He said federal agents created a risky situation at Delaney Hall.
A message seeking comment Wednesday was left with Habba's office.
Among those at McIver's side Wednesday were her family and elected officials, including Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was outside the detention centre with McIver and other legislators on May 9.
Baraka was also arrested on a trespassing charge that was later dropped and is suing Habba over what he called a malicious prosecution.
Baraka accused the Trump administration of using law enforcement as 'an appendage of their ideology to begin to hammer us.'
The indictment of McIver is the latest development in a legal-political drama that has seen the Trump administration take Democratic officials from New Jersey's largest city to court amid the president's ongoing immigration crackdown and Democrats' efforts to respond. The prosecution is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption.
A nearly two-minute video clip released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver at the facility inside a chain-link fence just before Baraka's arrest on other side of the barrier, where other people were protesting. McIver and uniformed officials go through the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should circle the mayor.
The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word 'Police.'
It is not clear from police bodycam video if the contact was intentional, incidental or the result of jostling in the chaotic scene.
The complaint alleges that she 'slammed' her forearm into an agent and then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him.
The indictment also says she placed her arms around the mayor to try to stop his arrest and says again that she slammed her forearm into and grabbed an agent.
Democrats including New Jersey Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, who were with McIver at the detention centre that day, have criticized the arrest and disputed the charges.
Members of Congress are legally authorized to go into federal immigration facilities as part of their oversight powers, even without notice. Congress passed a 2019 appropriations bill spelling out that authority.
McIver, 39, first came to Congress in September in a special election after the death of Rep. Donald Payne Jr. left a vacancy in the 10th District. She was then elected to a full term in November.
A Newark native, she was president of the Newark City Council from 2022 to 2024 and worked in the city's public schools before that.
Mike Catalini, The Associated Press
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
an hour ago
- National Post
Arizona governor approves up to $500M to upgrade Diamondbacks home
PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs signed legislation Friday that funds up to $500 million in renovations to Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Article content The bill, which won bipartisan support in both of the state's GOP-controlled chambers, will use sales tax revenue from the stadium and nearby buildings for infrastructure upgrades over the next 30 years, including improvements to air conditioning systems and the stadium's retractable roof. Article content Article content Article content The team said it will also contribute $250 million for the renovations at the stadium, which is located in downtown Phoenix and is surrounded by small businesses and restaurants that see a boost of activity during the baseball season. Article content The legislation is one of a handful of bipartisan deals that Hobbs, a Democrat, prioritized negotiating during the session. She says the funding is a responsible use of taxpayer dollars, will provide good-paying jobs and ensure the Diamondbacks do not leave Phoenix. Article content Attendance at games has increased since the team's 2023 run to the World Series, where the Diamondbacks lost to the Texas Rangers. This season they are averaging 31,420 fans per game — the highest in two decades. Article content 'I'm not going to let Arizona lose the Diamondbacks,' Hobbs said Friday on the social platform X. Article content Derrick Hall, president and CEO of the Diamondbacks, praised the governor and said the team will now turn its attention to extending its lease with Maricopa County. Article content Article content The bill cleared the Legislature June 23 after months of debate that included the question of whether the Diamondbacks could potentially leave unless a public funding deal was reached. Article content Other MLB teams have threatened to leave host cities if they did not get public financing. Article content The Oakland A's, for example, complained for years about the Oakland Coliseum and an inability to gain government assistance for a new ballpark. Now the team is bound for Las Vegas, where a groundbreaking ceremony was held this month for a $1.75 billion ballpark that is expected to be completed in time for the 2028 season. Nevada and Clark County approved up to $380 million in public funds for the project. Article content And last year voters in Jackson County, Missouri, rejected an attempt to extend a sales tax that would have helped fund a ballpark for the Kansas City Royals and stadium renovations for the Kansas City Chiefs. Lawmakers in Kansas are trying to lure the teams with government subsidies, and Missouri is trying to keep them with its own financial incentives.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
‘The U.S. doesn't have all the cards': Giffin on Trump's claims of leverage over Canada
Watch Former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Gordon Giffin on the 'disruptive' termination of trade talks between Canada and the U.S.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
9th escaped New Orleans inmate captured, leaving just one at large
Antoine Massey, one of 10 escapees from a May 16 New Orleans jailbreak, has been captured on June 27. (Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office via CNN Newsource) Antoine Massey, a serial escapee who vanished from a New Orleans jail with nine other inmates just after midnight on May 16, was arrested Friday afternoon in New Orleans, the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office said. The last remaining escapee, Derrick Groves, is still on the run after breaking out of the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans over a month ago. Massey was most recently charged with vehicle theft and domestic abuse involving strangulation, according to Orleans Parish records. The 33-year-old was captured in a rental property in the Hollygrove neighborhood of New Orleans, according to Deputy US Marshal Brian Fair. He was arrested just miles from the jail where Massey and the other inmates made their brazen escape, taking advantage of bad locks, stolen bedding and a hungry jail employee, and using electric hair trimmers with multiple clipper blades to help cut their way through the cell walls. Massey was taken into custody without incident after being surrounded on Friday afternoon, according to the US Marshals. It was 'peaceful,' Fair told CNN. 'After receiving a tip, follow-up work was done and lead directly to the arrest today,' Fair told CNN. Massey has a long track record of escaping custody. In 2007, he broke out of a New Orleans juvenile detention center after being arrested on suspicion of armed robbery and aggravated assault, according to Early in June, authorities raided a home after a video showed a man claiming to be Massey saying he was innocent. In the video, the man claiming to be Massey appealed to Lil Wayne for help and held a document to the camera – what he says is a stamped affidavit that proves his innocence. He claimed his ex-girlfriend, Diamond White, recanted her allegation of abuse in the affidavit. White has not responded to CNN's earlier request for comment. She was arrested after allegedly helping Massey after his escape, Louisiana State Police announced May 26. Convicted murderer still at large Groves, the inmate still at large, was convicted in October of killing two people in 2018 and later pleaded guilty to battery of a corrections officer. New Orleans Police Department Chief Anne Kirkpatrick addressed Groves directly at a Friday news conference. 'We are going to capture you,' she said. 'You will be taken into custody, but you still have the option to peacefully turn yourself in, and we will make an appeal to you to do so.' 'The public defender is ready to meet you and to be with you from the very moment you choose to turn yourself in,' she added. Groves' case went to trial four separate times, the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office detailed in a news release about the conviction. He was determined to be one of two gunmen who opened fire with AK-47-style assault rifles 'on what should have been a joyous Mardi Gras family gathering,' according to the DA's office. A woman believed to be Groves' current girlfriend, Darriana Burton, was arrested earlier in June for allegedly helping him escape. She had exchanged text messages and video calls with Groves in the days leading up to the escape, according to authorities. There is a US$50,000 reward for information leading to Groves' capture, offered by Crimestoppers Greater New Orleans, the FBI and other agencies. 'Just like we found Mr. Massey today, we will find Mr. Groves,' Chief Deputy US Marshal Walter Martin said at the Friday news conference. 'We'll continue our efforts.' He encouraged anyone with information about Groves' whereabouts to alert authorities. 'You can remain anonymous, but we need your help,' Martin said. 'Collectively, we will not rest, even if it takes another six days or another six weeks until the last fugitive is in custody.' CNN's Holly Yan contributed to this report. By Zoe Sottile, Jason Morris, Ryan Young, CNN
