10 Former GOP Congressmen Call Arrest Of Rep. LaMonica McIver At ICE Facility ‘Outrageous’

On May 20, Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-New Jersey) was charged with assault of two federal agents outside of a federal immigration detention center.

She was visiting the detention center in Newark with two other members of Congress, Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-New Jersey) and Rob Menendez (D-New Jersey). The group was accompanied by Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who was allowed into the detention center’s perimeter after a security guard believed him to be part of the congressional delegation.

The detention center, Delaney Hall, is run by GEO Group. The congressional delegation went to the detention center for an oversight visit, the first since Delaney opened this month.

When ICE agents confronted the group, the agents were attempting to arrest Baraka. The group tried to block the mayor’s arrest, with McIver pushing and using her body to attempt to prevent the arrest.

After Baraka was taken into custody, the congressional delegation visited Delaney. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) pointed out that this differed from the charge McIver received. Crockett stated that it was peculiar for the agents to have seen a “crime” occur before them and allowed the group to continue with the visit.

Baraka denied trespassing on the property and said he had been invited inside before the arrest.

Interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba has already dismissed a misdemeanor charge against Baraka. She stated that she had invited Baraka to tour Delaney and that he would join her.

McIver has denounced the charge against her. She has stated that the arrest of the mayor by ICE agents was an escalation of the situation.

McIver’s attorney has commented that the charge against McIver is inappropriate because McIver’s job as a member of Congress is to oversee the facility’s treatment of detainees.

On Friday, a group of ten former Republican Congressmen wrote a letter calling McIver’s arrest “outrageous.”

“The constitutional duties of Members of Congress include not only passing legislation but also oversight of executive branch implementation of those laws. That is an essential dimension of American checks and balances,” the group said. “Rep. Mclver was present at the ICE facility as part of her official congressional duties. We believe this extreme response to the events of that day is unwarranted.”

• Share on Facebook
• Tweet
• Submit to Reddit
• Submit to Threads
• Submit to Pinterest
• Share to Pocket