New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver Pleads Not Guilty to Assault Charges

Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) pleaded not guilty on June 25 to charges that she assaulted and interfered with immigration officers outside a New Jersey Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in May.

McIver and her attorney, Paul Fishman, arrived at the federal court in Newark, New Jersey, at 11 a.m. local time. Wearing a powder-blue suit, she was greeted by cheering supporters who had camped in front of the New Jersey courthouse on Walnut Street. Fishman is a former U.S. attorney for New Jersey.

Bail was continued without objection by federal prosecutor Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark McCarren, who told presiding District Judge Jamel Semper of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey that if convicted, McIver would face a maximum combined penalty of 17 years in prison on charges of “assaulting, resisting, impeding, and interfering” with federal officials. Two counts of the three-count indictment have a maximum sentence of up to eight years. The third misdemeanor count carries a maximum penalty of one year.

Semper ordered McIver’s legal team to file on July 17 defenses to discovery and exculpatory evidence that federal prosecutors are expected to file on July 3. A status conference is scheduled for Aug. 8, followed by oral arguments on Sept. 9 and a trial on Nov. 10.

McIver was charged by Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba after the incident that took place during a May 9 visit to Newark’s Delaney Hall, a privately owned 1,000-bed facility that is being used by ICE as a detention center.

“The members of Congress had the right to hold these agencies accountable, and that is what we went to Delaney Hall for,” McIver said outside the courthouse after the arraignment.

“We did not go there to protest. We did not go there for any of that. We went there to make sure that this facility was up to par and the detainees there were getting due process, and this is what occurred.”

She allegedly attempted to thwart the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka by making “forcible contact” with law enforcement officers after they ordered him to leave the facility’s secure area, as he was not part of the congressional delegation.

In video images released by the Department of Homeland Security, McIver is seen in a pack of people escorted by uniformed officials going through a gate in an attempt to circle Baraka, who was being arrested after he crossed a chain-link fence. McIver allegedly pushed her left and right elbows into a man wearing a dark face covering, who is believed to be a law enforcement officer.

Baraka’s trespassing charge was subsequently dropped.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside of the federal courthouse in Newark, N.J., on June 25, 2025. (Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times)

McCarren and Habba did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.

Habba on June 10 said a federal grand jury decided to pursue charges against McIver over her allegedly illegal actions.

“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 in a statement posted on social media.

The grand jury, which is composed of at least 16 citizens, heard evidence from Habba’s office outlining a case against McIver in which she is accused of assaulting two federal agents outside the privately run ICE detention center.

The grand jury proceedings are secret, and the accused does not have the right to present a defense or attend the proceedings. This serves as an additional layer of protection against criminal charges being pursued against U.S. citizens without sufficient evidence.

Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed facility, was opened on May 1 to detain illegal immigrants. The move triggered protests by activists and some Democratic politicians.

Juli Bertalan, 40, said she traveled from Wayne, New Jersey, to watch the legal proceedings and show support for McIver.

“The larger issue is standing up for free speech and for those who are held unjustly,” Bertalan told The Epoch Times.

Melanie Sun and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Correction: A previous version of this article gave an incorrect name for District Judge Jamel Semper. The Epoch Times regrets the error.