DEVELOPING STORY: U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced her office charged U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver for “assaulting, impeding and interfering with law enforcement” during the Delaney Hall visit.
“Earlier this month, I joined my colleagues to inspect the treatment of ICE detainees at Delaney Hall in my district. We were fulfilling our lawful oversight responsibilities, as members of Congress have done many times before, and our visit should have been peaceful and short,” McIver said in a statement responding to the charges. “Instead, ICE agents created an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation when they chose to arrest Mayor Baraka. The charges against me are purely political they mischaracterize and distort my actions, and are meant to criminalize and deter legislative oversight. This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right. I am thankful for the outpouring of support I have received and I look forward to the truth being laid out clearly in court.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a statement saying the decision to charge McIver came after “a thorough review of the video footage of Delaney Hall.”
Baraka and McIver have criticized the ICE facility housing migrants in Newark. They and others have argued it is dangerous and illegal, and that the private company that signed a contract with ICE did not obtain permits and blocked inspections. The Department of Homeland Security denies those claims.
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