New Jersey Democrat accused of assaulting officers dismisses 'absurd' charges

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Democratic lawmaker, Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey, called the federal battle charges against her "absurd" during a CNN interrogation connected Tuesday.

The Department of Justice accused McIver of assaulting 2 national agents and interfering with instrumentality enforcement during a confrontation astatine an ICE detention installation successful New Jersey earlier this month.

McIver dismissed the charges arsenic "absurd" and "political" portion connected CNN.

"I deliberation the charges are absurd. It's ridiculous. I was determination to bash my job, on with my different colleagues," she told CNN big Kate Bolduan. "The full concern was escalated by ICE."

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Democratic Rep. McIver of New Jersey, ICE installation confrontation

New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver was charged connected Monday for allegedly assaulting instrumentality enforcement officers extracurricular of an ICE detention installation earlier this month. (Getty Images/Department of Homeland Security)

"It was precise unnecessary," she continued. "If I'm going to beryllium charged with a transgression for doing my job, it truly speaks to wherever we're headed successful this country."

CNN asked McIver astir reports that she declined to negociate a woody with Alina Habba, Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey, implicit the incident.

McIver said she rejected this connection due to the fact that the Justice Department and Habba wanted her to admit to thing she said she "did not do."

DOJ CITES BODYCAM FOOTAGE IN CHARGING DOCUMENT FOR HOUSE DEM MCIVER

Alina Habba (left) and LaMonica McIver (right)

Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey Alina Habba is filing charges against Rep. LaMonica McIver implicit the Delaney Hall incidental earlier successful May. (Pool File via AP/Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

McIver, who sits connected the Homeland & Security Committee, said she would not person done thing otherwise if fixed the choice, and that it was her "obligation" to oversee the ICE installation and spot if those detained determination were fixed "due process."

She called the charges against her "political intimidation" successful a "very unfortunate" situation.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and 3 New Jersey lawmakers, including McIver, were extracurricular the ICE installation earlier this period with a radical of protesters erstwhile the gates opened to let an ICE autobus in. All 4 officials past allegedly rushed done the gates past security, according to officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Baraka initially faced a national trespassing complaint which has since been dropped, Habba announced Tuesday.

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ICE detention halfway successful Newark New Jersey

Police officers patrol extracurricular of Delaney Hall, an migrant detention halfway successful Newark, NJ, U.S., May 13, 2025. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)

McIver is accused of "assaulting, resisting and impeding" 2 migration officials — a Homeland Security investigations cause and an ICE cause — during the sojourn to the ICE facility, according to a transgression complaint filed successful national tribunal Monday.

The papers cites bodycam footage from instrumentality enforcement officers who recorded events arsenic McIver and the different lawmakers allegedly stormed the ICE facility.

The DOJ accuses McIver of having "slammed her forearm into the assemblage of a uniformed Homeland Security Investigations cause and reached retired and tried to restrain the cause by forcibly grabbing him."