Rally outside the Federal courthouse in Newark waiting for Rep. LaMonica McIver to arrive for her arraignment, June 25, 2025. © Chris Pedota/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
© Chris Pedota/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK
(Newark, NJ) – Earlier this week, New Jersey Congresswoman LaMonica McIver pleaded not guilty to charges of assault. Federal prosecutors say she shoved immigration agents during an incident at Delaney Hall — an ICE detention center — on May 9. At the time, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka also was arrested and faced charges — but those have been dropped.
Outside the courthouse in Newark on Wednesday, McIver’s supporters gathered, and she spoke — as did her attorney Paul Fishman (a former federal prosecutor) — and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
McIver argues that she and other lawmakers who had gathered that day were conducting an oversight visit. Apparently there are claims that the ICE facility maintains sub-par conditions for detainees — including claims of improper or insufficient food. But that also flies in the face of the reality we’ve observed for weeks — ever since the Trump White House has started enforcing immigration law, and deporting illegal aliens.
For example, we’ve seen US Senator Alex Padilla get himself arrested at a Homeland Security briefing. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander also attempted to boost his failing mayoral campaign by getting himself handcuffed at an immigration court. All of this is rather performative — and certainly rooted in protest — not enforcement of some observed statute or standard.
On our airwaves, hosts took McIver to task for disrupting proceedings and allegedly shoving officers who were just trying to do their jobs.
Rita Cosby broke down the facts on the Rita Cosby Show, which airs 10pm-12am weeknights.
Guests and regular contributors, such as former Congressman Peter King, blasted McIver’s actions.
Meanwhile, the Trump White House scored a win this week when the US Supreme Court ruled the administration can be allowed to deport convicted criminals to so-called “third world countries.” That’s regardless of whether the migrant in question is somehow connected to those nations.
Basically, the decision puts a hold on a federal judge’s previous ruling — which allowed migrants facing deportation to those countries to file claims — alleging they’d be at risk of persecution or bodily harm. The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices — Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown Jackson — all dissented.
As a result of the decision, the White House and Homeland Security can deport convicted criminals to places like South Sudan — where a recent group were being sent. As a result of the legal holdup, a group of migrants were being held in Djibouti. The White House has raised safety concerns for the agents guarding them.
One of the latest developments is a new lawsuit filed by the Trump administration — naming federal judges in Maryland as defendants. The suit connects to an order that blocks the immediate removal of any detained immigrant who requests a court hearing. The Justice Department filed the lawsuit against the chief judge of the US District Court in Maryland — as well as the court’s other judges — claiming the order interferes with the executive branch’s powers.
The Trump administration has asked for a court ruling that would make the order unlawful. It also requests an injunction to stop its enforcement. Further, the Justice Department wants the Maryland judges to recuse themselves — so the case can be transferred elsewhere.
Out in California — where immigration enforcement efforts led to riots from Los Angelenos — deportation operations continue. More than 1,600 illegal immigrants may soon be deported after getting picked up in recent ICE raids across LA. ICE started hitting the streets in early June and the immigrants that have been arrested are now being set up to be sent out of the country.
