LABOR BEFORE LIBERTY

Congresswoman Gives Birth as She Faces 17 Years in Prison

Her baby announcement on X faced backlash amid her court battle.

Democratic New Jersey Rep. LaMonica McIver, 40, has given birth to her second daughter while facing a lengthy prison sentence from Donald Trump’s Justice Department.

McIver, the only member of Congress indicted by Trump’s DOJ, has argued that she was targeted by federal prosecutors for doing her job and seeking oversight of conditions at an immigration detention facility in Newark.

Prosecutors claim McIver “slammed her forearm” into an immigration officer and used her forearms to “forcibly strike” another in order to block the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka outside the facility in May 2025.

McIver was charged in a federal indictment with three counts of assaulting, resisting, and forcibly impeding or interfering with federal law enforcement officers. She pled not guilty and sought to dismiss the indictment, arguing that the charges brought against her were retaliatory and vindictive.

A federal appeals court declined to dismiss the charges last month, however, ruling that she did not have legislative immunity.

McIver said at the time that the decision “emboldens the Trump administration to continue persecuting our most vulnerable communities, those who try to defend them, and anyone who dares hold the president or his lackeys accountable.”

She is now facing up to 17 years behind bars if convicted.

McIver and her husband, Khalif Thomas, already have a 10-year-old daughter named Zaya.

As she waits to be called back into court, she posted on X, “We just welcomed our beautiful baby girl, and words can’t describe how blessed my family feels. Being a mom is one of the greatest joys of my life, and I’m beyond grateful… 💕💕.”

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