MAY 20, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE PRESS RELEASE

CIVIL RIGHTS GROUP CONDEMNS CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST CONGRESSWOMAN MCIVER

The following statement was issue by Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress:

The People’s Organization For Progress (POP) condemns Alina Habba, interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey, for bringing charges against Congresswoman LaMonica McIver.

The charges have been filed in connection with the incident involving the arrest of Mayor Ras Baraka that occurred on May 9th at Delaney Hall in Newark.

POP believes that Congresswoman McIver is innocent and that these charges are false. We demand that Habba dismiss these charges against the congresswoman just as she dismissed those against Mayor Ras Baraka.

Congresswoman McIver should not have been charged in the first place. She is not the one at fault here.

The fault lies with the ICE agents who precipitated the incident. They escalated the event, overreacting with excessive force in a reckless, abusive, and totally unprofessional manner.

The ICE agents were armed. Congresswoman McIver, Congresswoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman, Congressman Robert Menedez Jr, and Mayor Baraka were unarmed. The ICE agents created a dangerous situation.

The behavior of ICE personnel and the response of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is characteristic of what happens in police brutality cases.

The police abuse someone and then pile charges on the innocent victim to deflect attention from their own misconduct and to coverup their misdeeds.

Rep. McIver did nothing wrong. She and the other House representatives were at Delaney Hall to conduct an oversight visit which they have a right to do as members of Congress.

We also believe the charges against the congresswoman are politically motivated. McIver, Baraka and other elected officials across the country are being targeted because their policies and positions on immigration are opposed to those of the Trump administration.

The filing of these charges against Congresswoman McIver is a grave injustice. In so doing U.S. Attorney Habba is violating her oath of office when she swore to be impartial and to do justice.

These charges and the pursuit of Congresswoman McIver in this manner is a waste of taxpayer money. The dismissal of the charges against Mayor Baraka should have been the end of this unfortunate episode.

Finally, Habba has said she is doing this because “no one is above the law.” It is difficult to take this pronouncement from her seriously.

Her boss and the man who appointed her, President Trump, places himself above the law almost every day of the week. He blatantly defies the laws of this nation at every turn.

Trump violates the constitution, ignores court orders, attacks attorneys, locks up judges and denies people their rights. Rather than charging McIver she should consider bringing charges against Trump.

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