Congresswoman charged over blue city ICE incident

Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, Alina Habba, has made the decision to charge Rep. LaMonica McIver for her alleged misconduct towards law enforcement in front of Delaney Hall earlier this month. Habba announced the charges in a post on X on Monday, citing a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1) for assaulting, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement.

In a surprising turn of events, Habba also announced that she would be dismissing the trespassing charge against Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. Baraka had been charged with a class C misdemeanor trespassing at the facility, which is privately operated by the GEO Group. Despite this charge, Habba ultimately decided to drop the case against him.

The incident in question occurred when Baraka and three congressional lawmakers – McIver, Robert Menendez Jr., and Bonnie Watson Coleman – were outside the ICE facility with a group of protesters. As the gates opened to allow an ICE bus in, all four officials allegedly rushed through the gates past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security.

Baraka expressed his belief that he was targeted in the situation, while McIver and others claim that ICE instigated the chaos. McIver took to X to express her frustration, stating that ICE had disrespected them and tried to prevent them from conducting the oversight they were elected to do.

The arrest of the officials came amidst ongoing protests calling for access to the facility, which was recently revamped as an immigration detention facility. The city has raised concerns about the facility operating without a valid certificate of occupancy, while the GEO Group maintains that they are in compliance with city laws.

Following the incident, large yellow barricades were placed in front of Delaney Hall with signs warning against trespassing on private property. Despite the charges and controversy surrounding the incident, McIver’s office has not yet provided a comment on the matter.

It is clear that this situation has raised questions about the actions of public officials and their interactions with law enforcement. The decision to charge McIver while dismissing the case against Baraka highlights the complexities and challenges of enforcing the law in a politically charged environment. As the story continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how these developments will impact the ongoing debate surrounding immigration enforcement and oversight.