Rep. LaMonica McIver, a Democrat from New Jersey, made her initial court appearance on Wednesday after being charged by the Department of Justice for allegedly assaulting ICE agents.
Appearing virtually from Washington, D.C., the judge ordered McIver to surrender her firearms and barred her from traveling outside the United States, at least until her preliminary hearing scheduled for June 11.
If convicted, McIver could face several years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Fox News reported that the New Jersey Democrat is now fundraising off her indictment to “fight back” against what she claimed are charges motivated by racism.
Appearing via video, 38-year-old Rep. LaMonica McIver was read her rights before being released on her own recognizance. She faces up to eight years in prison if convicted, according to the New York Post.
McIver is prohibited from leaving the country unless travel is required for official duties, and must provide prior notice to the government in such cases, The Post said.
McIver, who has represented New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District since September, dismissed the charges as “purely political” and accused ICE agents at the scene of escalating the confrontation, though video of the altercation appears to clearly show her shoving and striking ICE agents at a New Jersey detention facility.
“It was very unnecessary,” she told CNN Tuesday, calling the charges “absurd” as she insisted she was “there to do my job.”
“If I’m going to be charged with a crime for doing my job, it really speaks to where we’re headed in this country,” she added.
Acting New Jersey US Attorney Alina Habba defended the felony charges, telling The Post that the alleged assault of federal agents by the congresswoman was unacceptable.
“This has nothing to do with congressional oversight, and it has nothing to do with politics. It’s about respecting those who risk their lives to keep us safe,” said Habba, once President Donald Trump’s personal attorney.
“McIver slammed her forearm into the body of … a uniformed HSI agent. She also reached out and tried to restrain [the agent] by forcibly grabbing him,” the federal complaint says.
Investigators relied on body camera footage and aerial surveillance images to document McIver’s actions during the altercation. According to authorities, the visuals provide clear evidence that she assaulted federal officers and attempted to interfere with the arrest of Mayor Ras Baraka on trespassing charges, which have since been dropped.
A federal magistrate judge criticized prosecutors for dropping the trespassing charge against Baraka during a separate hearing on Wednesday.
Baraka and McIver were part of a group of mouthy Democratic lawmakers who forced their way into Delaney Hall in Newark to protest the reopening of the migrant detention center.
Baraka was arrested at the scene, but prosecutors later withdrew the charge following the May 9 incident.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Andre Espinosa described the arrest of Mayor Ras Baraka, a frontrunner in next month’s Democratic primary for New Jersey governor, as a “worrisome misstep.” He criticized what he called an “apparent rush” to pursue the case, which ultimately led to the federal government’s “embarrassing” decision to withdraw the misdemeanor trespassing charge.
“Your role is not to secure convictions at all costs, nor to satisfy public clamor, nor to advance political agendas,” Espinosa told the DOJ lawyer, The Hill reported.
“Your allegiance is to the impartial application of the law, to the pursuit of truth and to the upholding of due process for all,” Espinosa chided as he dismissed the complaint with prejudice, which means the DOJ can’t resurrect it.