Breaking News | Supporters rally for LaMonica McIver as court case continues

LaMonica McIver holding a Make the Road New Jersey banner with a group of demonstrators outside the Frank Lautenberg Post Office & U.S. Courthouse in Newark, New Jersey, on Oct. 21, 2025. Photo credit: Anthony Orlando for Public Square Amplified.

Newark, NJ - U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver returned to court on Oct. 21 as she continued her heated legal battle against the Department of Justice. This ongoing case began after federal officers arrested Newark Mayor, Ras J. Baraka, during his oversight visit to Delaney Hall with McIver, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. on May 9.

The case against Baraka was dropped in May. However, McIver was indicted on three counts for “forcibly impeding and interfering with federal officers” as they tried to arrest Baraka, allegedly slamming her forearm into an agent and trying to grab and restrain him. She was also accused of pushing another ICE agent and striking him with her forearms. While she could face up to 17 years in prison, McIver pleaded not guilty in federal court on June 25.

On Sept. 2, Rep. Clay Higgins (R) of Louisiana started a vote to censure McIver and strip her of her position on the House Homeland Security Committee. Every Democrat and some Republicans in the House of Representatives struck down this effort on Sept. 3.

Hundreds of supporters gathered outside the Frank Lautenberg Post Office & U.S. Courthouse in Newark for McIver’s hearing. One of the demonstrators, Paula Rogovin, demanded justice for McIver and criticized the charges against her.

“They're phony charges,” said Rogovin. “I witnessed what happened [at Delaney Hall]. I was there that morning on May 9th, and I saw this was trumped up. They wanted to get her. They wanted to get the three members of Congress. They wanted to get the mayor. And it was phony. It was fake, but it was scary as hell.”

Advocacy groups supporting McIver and immigrant rights also gathered outside the courthouse, speaking out against the Trump administration’s undermining of state and federal laws and threats against elected officials. These organizations include the People’s Organization for Progress (POP), the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice, Make the Road New Jersey, and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ).

Amol Sinha, Executive Director of ACLU-NJ, told Public Square Amplified that the charges against McIver are “political retribution” by the Trump administration for attempting to investigate Delaney Hall.

“I think this is an act of political prosecution against a person who was duly authorized to conduct oversight over a detention facility. This is about immigrants’ rights. It's about all of our rights. And it's about Trump, the Trump administration going after every freedom that we hold dear.”

POP Chairperson Lawrence Hamm also denounced the charges against McIver, saying she was trying to ensure “our immigrant brothers and sisters were being treated like human beings at Delaney Hall.” He also highlighted the urgency for justice and accountability as the Trump Administration heightened ICE enforcement nationwide with a $75 billion budget increase. 

Ras J. Baraka speaking to a crowd of demonstrators outside the Frank Lautenberg Post Office & U.S. Courthouse in Newark, New Jersey, on Oct. 21, 2025. Photo credit: Anthony Orlando for Public Square Amplified.

Mayor Baraka and Reps. Coleman and Menendez Jr. joined the demonstrators outside the courthouse to support McIver in person. They were also joined by Congress members from outside New Jersey, including U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D) from Minnesota, Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D) from Texas, and California Rep. Sara Jacobs (D). 

Omar spoke at the demonstration, saying McIver held ICE accountable for their actions at Delaney Hall by trying to make sure all the detainees were there for the “right reason.” She also argued that all members of Congress should ensure every U.S. resident has due process.

“We know that, as members of Congress, we have a duty…to uphold the oath that we take. And part of that is doing oversight and making sure the government is not doing illegal activities against the people it represents,” said Omar. “And representation, I tell you, does not mean that you are a citizen. It means everybody that is on the soil here in the United States.”

With elected officials from across the country gathering for McIver’s court case, New Jersey remains a crucial battlefield in the nationwide conflict over immigrant rights and government overreach. So many elected officials have supported McIver’s right to exercise her oversight authority, which she made a critical part of her argument in court.

According to Politico, McIver told the court on Oct. 21 that the charges against her for interfering and impeding federal officers should be dismissed under the Constitution’s “speech or debate” clause. This provision grants Congress members, like her, almost complete immunity in investigations related to their official duties.

McIver’s attorneys argued the charges against her demonstrated a double standard based on her political affiliation. Her attorney, Paul Fishman, highlighted that while McIver, a Democrat, was indicted, Trump had pardoned hundreds of far-right extremists who assaulted police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6. He also noted that the Supreme Court, which had a Republican majority, granted Trump immunity from criminal prosecution in his 2024 federal court case.

“[McIver] was charged with something she never would have been charged with if she was a Republican,” said Fishman.

In addition, Fishman claimed that an ICE agent shoved her during Baraka’s arrest, forcing her into a fight that she didn’t start. Fishman also said the ICE agents were “spectacularly irresponsible” in how they handled Baraka’s arrest, putting nearby civilians in a “dangerous” situation.

A verdict has yet to be determined in McIver’s case, which is scheduled to go to trial on Nov. 10. However, U.S. District Judge Jamel Semper demanded that nine “prejudicial” social media posts made by the Department of Homeland Security and one of its spokespersons be removed from X. McIver’s attorneys argued that these posts, which have accused her and her fellow Congress members of pulling “a reckless stunt” at Delaney Hall that wasn’t about oversight, could prevent her from having a fair trial.

Prosecutors said that the outcome of McIver’s trial will be based on surveillance and bodycam footage of Baraka’s chaotic arrest. Nevertheless, McIver made it clear to her supporters at the courthouse that it has not and will not prevent her from doing her job.

“I'm going to continue to show up to protect us,” she said,” to protect the people of the 10th Congressional District of New Jersey, and better yet, this country, because we need protection and we have to continue to hold this administration accountable.”

Public Square Amplified will continue to follow this story as the legal case progresses.