Bodycam footage shows Dem Rep LaMonica McIver assaulting ICE agents at New Jersey detention facility

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY: Democratic Rep LaMonica McIver found herself in hot water after an ICE bodycam footage caught her verbally abusing and physically assaulting federal agents at a detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.

The 38-year-old lawmaker got into a scuffle with federal agents on Friday, May 9, when she, along with Rep Bonnie Watson Coleman, Rep Rob Menendez, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, visited Delaney Hall Detention Center for an inspection.

The tension grew at the scene when a group of protesters, including the lawmakers, stormed the ICE facility as a bus of detainees was entering the security gate. Mayor Baraka was also arrested and charged with trespassing during the heated incident, according to Fox News.

Bodycam footage shows LaMonica McIver elbowing ICE agents

On Saturday, the Department of Homeland Security released a slew of footage showing the arrest of Mayor Ras Baraka and physical altercations between federal agents, protesters, and members of Congress.

In one of the videos, Rep McIver, identified in a red jacket, is seen jostling uniformed agents, including one moment where she throws an elbow into one officer’s back and another where she appears to strike a different officer with a fist.

The official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Department of Homeland Security shared the video with the caption, "US Congresswoman, LaMonica McIver (wearing a red blazer), storms the gate of Delaney Hall Detention Center, assaulting an ICE agent."

After the incident, McIver disputed the department's characterization in her own social media post and claimed that ICE "shoved" her and "manhandled" Watson Coleman.

"The way we were treated at Delaney Hall is almost unbelievable. ICE shoved me, manhandled [Bonnie Watson Coleman], and arrested [Ras Baraka]. They disrespected us and tried to stop us from conducting the oversight we’re elected to do. But we’ll never back down in our fight for what is right,” she wrote in her post.

McIver intensified her claims during a news conference, claiming that she was "assaulted by multiple ICE officers while regional directors of ICE watched it happen."

DHS can arrest lawmakers for 'storming' the ICE facility

Following the heated scuffle, a DHS official accused the members of Congress of breaking into the facility despite their legal authority to oversee the department and suggested that charges could be brought against them.

“Members of Congress storming into a detention facility goes beyond a bizarre political stunt and puts the safety of our law enforcement agents and detainees at risk,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.

“Members of Congress are not above the law and cannot illegally break into detention facilities,” she added, according to CNN.

McLaughlin doubled down on her statement on 'Fox News Live', where she told host Kevin Corke that "arrest" is still on the table.

"If it was a typical US citizen, and they tried to storm into a detention facility that's housing dangerous criminals or any person at all, they would be arrested," she said, adding, "Just because you are a member of Congress or just because you're a public official, does not mean you are above the law."

"If you assault a law enforcement officer, we will also make sure you answer to justice. So, I think that arrests are still on the table for this. This is an ongoing investigation," the DHS official affirmed.