HEATING UP

Alina Habba Announces Indictment of Dem Lawmaker Over ICE Clash

Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted on three counts over a May scuffle with federal agents.

A Democratic lawmaker has been indicted on federal charges over a clash with immigration officers last month, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Alina Habba announced Tuesday. Habba said New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver was indicted on three counts of “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal law enforcement officers.” The charges stemmed from a tense skirmish between three Democratic lawmakers and federal agents at an immigration detention center in Newark last month. McIver, along with Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez, arrived for an inspection on May 9 but ended up in a scuffle after federal agents arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka. McIver said she and Watson Coleman were “assaulted,” and Menendez was “roughed up.” President Donald Trump slammed McIver as “out of control” following the standoff. “While people are free to express their views for or against particular policies, they must not do so in a manner that endangers law enforcement and the communities those officers serve,” Habba said. McIver said she plans to plead not guilty in what she described as “a brazen attempt at political intimidation.” “This indictment is no more justified than the original charges, and is an effort by Trump’s administration to dodge accountability for the chaos ICE caused and scare me out of doing the work I was elected to do. But it won’t work—I will not be intimidated.”

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Julia OrnedoReporter

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