The Justice Department has officially charged a New Jersey congresswoman with assaulting federal agents during a tense encounter outside a Newark immigration detention center, while simultaneously dropping trespassing charges against the city's mayor, officials confirmed on Monday.
Alina Habba, the interim U.S. attorney for New Jersey, made the announcement on X, revealing that Congresswoman LaMonica McIver faces charges for "assaulting, impeding, and interfering with law enforcement" during her May 9 visit to the facility alongside two other Democratic representatives from New Jersey.
“No one is above the law — politicians or otherwise,” Habba declared in a sharp statement. “This office stands for impartial justice, no matter the individual’s status. Now, it’s time for the legal system to do its job.”
Habba emphasized she initially attempted to resolve the matter without criminal charges, but said McIver refused that option.
In response, McIver fired back, placing blame on federal agents, accusing them of provoking the situation. “ICE agents instigated an unnecessary and unsafe confrontation,” she claimed. She called the charges “purely political”, saying they are a distortion of events designed to silence legislative oversight.
At the same time, Habba announced the dismissal of a misdemeanor trespass charge against Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, who was arrested during the same incident after being denied access to the facility.
“For the sake of moving forward,” she said, the charge was dropped.
Baraka, in a separate statement, welcomed the dismissal but vowed to keep fighting for humane conditions inside Delaney Hall, insisting it comply with local laws and standards.
McIver, alongside Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez, has strongly denied the Trump administration’s claim that they “stormed” the facility. Their version is backed by video evidence and eyewitness accounts.
The group had gone to Delaney Hall on May 9 for an oversight visit. Though they were eventually allowed to tour the newly opened 1,000-bed facility, the clash began when Baraka attempted to join them and was stopped by federal officers.
Video captures McIver and others forming a circle around Baraka, leading to a chaotic scuffle the Trump administration has portrayed as a mob-style assault on officers. Federal officials arrested Baraka and charged him with trespassing, which he has denounced as selective prosecution.
Both sides have used video footage — from protesters and body-worn cameras released by Homeland Security — to argue the other was at fault. Notably, there were no reported injuries from the confrontation.
In bodycam video aired by Fox News, McIver appears to make contact with a masked officer while trying to approach the gate. Another clip captures her in a heated verbal exchange with officers. Surrounded by men in tactical gear, she’s seen shouting, “Ma’am, he just assaulted me!”
McIver later stated she was physically shoved by ICE officers.
Reacting to the charges, House Democratic leaders slammed the move as “extreme, morally bankrupt, and legally baseless.”
Paul J. Fishman, McIver’s attorney and a former U.S. attorney, labeled the decision “spectacularly inappropriate.” He asserted, “As a congresswoman, she has the duty to oversee ICE facilities. Instead of cooperating, ICE escalated the situation into a crisis.”
After Baraka’s arrest, the lawmakers finally entered Delaney Hall to complete their inspection.
Republicans, meanwhile, have seized the moment to criticize Democrats, accusing them of prioritizing immigrants with criminal records over U.S. citizens. Homeland Security officials have repeatedly claimed the lawmakers “stormed” the facility and circulated a video allegedly showing McIver assaulting an ICE agent.
Representative Buddy Carter, a Republican from Georgia, introduced a resolution aiming to strip the lawmakers of their House committee roles. Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene called for McIver’s expulsion from Congress altogether.
The firestorm centers around Delaney Hall, a detention center launched with $1 billion in federal funding through a contract with GEO Group, a major private prison firm. Critics, including Mayor Baraka, argue it opened without city permits or safety inspections, and he's made it a central issue in his gubernatorial campaign.
It was this fierce opposition that prompted the May 9 visit. Though Baraka was briefly allowed past the gates, video evidence later showed him being asked to leave multiple times, which he reportedly did — until federal agents in military gear arrested him, creating a tense standoff.
In a striking moment captured on video, McIver confronted the officers, saying, “You can’t talk to a congresswoman like that. You will pay.”
Watson Coleman blasted the administration’s claims as absurd, stating: “None of us body-slammed armed officers. D.H.S. is lying to cover for out-of-control agents.”
Following a court appearance, Baraka accused the Trump administration of using his arrest as a political stunt to discredit him.
Finally, on Monday, Habba — a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney — reversed course, announcing the government would drop the charge against Baraka after careful review.
“In the public’s interest,” she said, “I’ve invited the mayor to take a proper tour of Delaney Hall. The government has nothing to hide, and I will personally escort him.”
Description:
A heated political clash unfolded at Newark’s Delaney Hall detention center as Rep. LaMonica McIver was charged with assaulting federal agents during an oversight visit, while trespassing charges against Mayor Ras Baraka were dropped. This article breaks down the events, legal drama, and political fallout surrounding immigration enforcement, ICE actions, and the controversial $1 billion detention facility.