NEWARK, NJ – Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) has filed an appeal to challenge a federal judge’s decision allowing her criminal prosecution to move forward in connection with an alleged altercation involving federal agents at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility.
McIver’s notice of appeal, filed Monday, sends the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, which will review the congresswoman’s arguments in the coming months.
The appeal marks the latest escalation in a case that has drawn national attention for its intersection of politics, immigration policy, and congressional privilege.
In a public statement, McIver said her appeal represents a stand against what she described as political retaliation. “This appeal is for everyone who is standing up to this administration as they try to operate without oversight, silence the people who oppose them, and shut down those who protect the vulnerable,” she said. “They want to make an example out of me, but I will not let them. I will not be bullied out of doing my job and protecting our communities. Not now, not ever.”
McIver faces three felony counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding, and interfering with a federal officer. The charges stem from a May incident during her visit to an ICE detention facility, where federal agents allege she physically obstructed staff while attempting to speak with detainees.
In multiple videos, McIver is seen forcing her way past federal agents to access the secured facility, storming the gates. At one point, she is seen in a physical scuffle with federal agents before she was detained and arrested.
The congresswoman has denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that her actions were part of her official oversight duties as a member of Congress.
Rep. LaMonica McIver has appealed a judge’s decision to allow her prosecution over an alleged confrontation with federal agents at an ICE detention center.