Dem congresswoman faces 17 years in jail for confronting a police officer
Democratic U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) speaks outside United States Court, after pleading not guilty on three counts of© provided by RawStory
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On Wednesday morning in Wilmington, Delaware, attorneys for Representative LaMonica McIver will appear before a panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
They are challenging federal assault charges tied to a May 2025 incident at Delaney Hall, a migrant detention center in Newark, as reported by Sophie Nieto-Muñoz of the New Jersey Monitor.
McIver, a Democrat from New Jersey, along with her supporters, argues that she is being singled out politically due to her criticism of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement practices.
The charges stem from an oversight visit during which federal agents detained Newark Mayor Ras Baraka for trespassing. Video footage from body cameras captured McIver pushing a law enforcement officer amid the ensuing confrontation.
At a recent House Democrats meeting in Newark, she stated, “They want to criminalize oversight and lock me up. Whatever they try, we’re not backing down.”
Her legal team maintains that she is protected by legislative immunity under the Constitution’s Speech or Debate Clause and asserts that the prosecution is both selective and retaliatory.
Prosecutors, however, argue that her actions did not fall within the scope of official legislative duties. According to the New Jersey Monitor, federal authorities have likened McIver’s conduct to that of violent left-wing extremists associated with Antifa.
A previous motion to dismiss the case based on immunity was denied by a federal judge, leading to the current appeal.
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