A Federal Grand Jury has returned an accusation that accuses the representative of New Jersey, Lammonica McIver, for allegedly assaulting the law agents outside an immigration detention center last month, authorities announced on Tuesday.
The accusation of three positions accuses Democratic congresswoman of “preventing and interfering with force with federal officers of the law” in the installation, said the Prosecutor of the United States of New Jersey, Alina Haba, in a position on X.
“As I said in the past, it is my constitutional obligation as the federal director of the Federal Law of New Jersey to ensure that our federal partners are protected by executing their functions,” said Haba. “While people are free to express their points of view for or against particular policies, they should not do so in a way that endangers the police and the communities that these officers serve.”
The accusation is a standard procedure step after the Haba office accused McIver through a criminal complaint last month.
McIver has promised that he will fight the charges and plan to declare himself not guilty.
“The facts of this case will demonstrate that I was simply doing my job and will present these procedures for what they are: a shameless attempt of political intimidation,” he said in a statement about X. “This accusation is not more justified than the original positions, and it is an effort of the Trump administration to dodge responsibility for chaos chaos caused and Scare Me out of doing the work I was chosen to do. I will do that.
Image of the Police Corps Chamber of the New Jersey representative, Lamonica Mciver, outside an ice detention center, in Newark, NJ, May 9, 2025.
District Court of the United States/New Jersey District
On May 9, McIver and some other members of the Congress were in Delaney Hall, a Customs Detention and Customs Detention Center of the United States in Newark, New Jersey, to perform supervision.
The tensions intensified when a federal officer ordered the mayor of Newark Ras Baraka to leave an insured area of the facial installation or arrest, and pressing and pushing allegedly, according to prosecutors.
“During his continuous attempts to frustrate the arrest, McIver hit his forearm in the body of an officer of the law and also contacted and tried to contain that officer by grabbing him by force,” said the Department of Justice in a press release on Tuesday. “McIver also used each of his forearms to forcefully attack a second officer.”
After the charges for criminal complaint, McIver alleged in a statement that the decision was politically motivated.
“The charges against me are purely political: they characterize and distort my actions, and are destined to criminalize and deter legislative supervision,” McIver said.
Top House Democrats also issued a joint statement last month defending McIver, promising that “vigorously” they respond to what they say it is an illegitimate abuse of power.
“An attack against one of us is an attack against the American people. Democrats of the House of Representatives will respond vigorously in the coming days at the time, the place and the way in which our election,” said leaders.
If it is convicted, the maximum fine for the charges in the accusation varies from one to eight years, Haba said.
Baraka was arrested in the installation and accused of search, although he had later dropped the position.
