Rep. LaMonica McIver (speaks in a “fireside chat” with Rev. Al Sharpton, President & Founder, National Action Network during the National Action Network annual convention at the Sheraton Times Square on April 8, 2026, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)
By Samuel Short August 31, 2026 at 6:37am
Unless you’d like to face prison time, do not assault federal officers.
That’s not a “hot take” or a piece of advice that requires advanced legal training, but common sense that most Americans understand.
New Jersey Democratic Rep. LaMonica McIver does not appear to be most Americans and is now facing justice for charges of allegedly assaulting a law enforcement officer.
In May 2025, McIver appeared at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Newark, New Jersey.
Federal law permits officials to make “oversight” visits, but that does not include people like Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, whom agents tried to arrest. Footage from that moment showed McIver tussling with officers for their efforts in a physical back-and-forth for which she was charged with assault.
Just The News reported Sunday that an appeals court has rejected dismissal of the charges in a 2-1 decision.
The document can be read here.
Should McIver do time behind bars for assaulting a law enforcement officer?
Her claim was made under the “speech or debate” clause of the Constitution, but the court was not buying it and from the footage, it’s obvious why.
🚨 BREAKING: A federal appeals court has REJECTED Democrat Rep. LaMonica McIver’s immunity defense after she ASSAULTED ICE agents in Newark, 2-1
FAFO!🔥
Video shows McIver, in a red jacket, committing FEDERAL FELONIES by striking MULTIPLE ICE agents during a fit of entitled… pic.twitter.com/TZo5ELQ4Tt
— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) August 26, 2026
One charge says she “slammed her forearm” into an officer, while a second says she used both forearms to strike an officer.
A third charge, sent back to a lower court, says she was “forcibly” interfering with ICE officers.
McIver is easy to spot in the footage, wearing a bright red jacket.
Taking a look, it’s not difficult to see why she’s not able to walk away from that moment.
Defunding ICE has become attacking ICE.
McIver seemed to believe her status as a federal elected official shields her from prosecution, but there should be a higher standard for her than the average agitator. She posted a message to social media platform X playing the victim and stating she was “exploring every possible option.”
My statement on the ruling in my case today. I will not fold to this administration. We are exploring every possible option. pic.twitter.com/djRhET3zmR
— Rep. LaMonica McIver (@RepLaMonica) August 26, 2026
It’s not just that Democrats want to hurt ICE officers. They want them dead.
Their rhetoric about ICE being Nazi Germany’s Gestapo carries real consequences for the safety of officers. In January, an officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was nearly killed when an agitator, 37-year-old Renee Good, tried running him down with her car.
Good was fatally shot, sending the left into a frenzy.
Pretend, for a moment, like the officer had done nothing and Good fatally struck him.
Would there be the same outrage? Obviously not.
The response from the left would amount to “he should not have been out there working for a fascist regime.”
Put McIver behind bars. We’ve tolerated this for long enough.
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Sam Short is an Assistant Professor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London. The views expressed in his articles are his own and do not reflect the views or opinions of Motlow State Community College.
