The Justice Department will pursue charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., after an altercation with immigration agents outside a detention center in Newark last week, the New Jersey Globe reported.
McIver, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, and New Jersey Democrat Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez traveled to Delaney Hall in Newark on May 9, where Baraka was arrested after federal authorities claimed he was trespassing.
Baraka claims he was following agents' instructions and leaving the area when he was arrested. His arrest led to a physical altercation between Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the three legislators, and a crowd of protesters in which both sides claim the other was the aggressor.
Footage of the incident shows McIver "forcefully attempted to protect Baraka both physically and verbally as he was led away," but does not show her striking or "body-slamming" an ICE officer as some Republicans have claimed, according to the Globe and a spokesperson for Watson County, where the incident took place
"We've reviewed the body cam footage shared by [Department of Homeland Security] which confirms what we've said from the beginning: ICE agents put their hands on Members of Congress and arrested the Mayor of Newark on public property," the county spokesperson said in a statement last week, adding, "Nobody was 'body slammed,' nobody 'assaulted' any agents, and this footage confirms that."
A spokesperson for McIver's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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