U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted Tuesday on federal charges alleging she impeded and interfered with immigration officers outside a Newark detention center while the city's mayor was being arrested after he tried to join a congressional oversight visit at the facility.
Acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced the grand jury indictment in a post on X.
“While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve,” Habba said.
McIver, a Democrat, had been charged in a complaint by Habba last month with two assault charges stemming from the May 9 visit to Newark’s Delaney Hall - a 1,000-bed, privately owned facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center.
Tuesday's coverage
McIver disputed the allegations as baseless and defended her presence at the facility as part of her authorized role as a member of Congress.
“The facts of this case will prove I was simply doing my job and will expose these proceedings for what they are: a brazen attempt at political intimidation," McIver wrote in a statement. "This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump’s administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do. But it won’t work—I will not be intimidated."
McIver said that she would be entering a plea of "not guilty."
The Associated Press wire services contributed to this report.