McIver Speaks on Political Intimidation and Urgent Need for Oversight

In case you missed it, this morning, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) joined MSNBC’s The Weekend. The Congresswoman spoke to Jonathan Capehart, Eugene Daniels, and Elise Jordan about the events that unfolded last month at an ICE facility in her district when she and two of her colleagues attempted to conduct what should have been a routine congressional oversight visit. McIver also addressed the ensuing political intimidation and charges brought against her in the interview, which you can watch here.

 

McIver spoke on the oversight authority granted, by law, to members of Congress: 

  • “We went there to conduct an oversight visit. Obviously, everyone knows as Congress members—we would think everyone knows—that we have the right to facilitate oversight visits at ICE facilities. I went [to Delaney Hall] with two of my colleagues, Bonnie Watson Coleman and Robert Menendez, who represent New Jersey. We’ve done this before, literally just a couple of months [ago] we went to a facility in Elizabeth, not too far from Delaney Hall, and conducted an oversight visit.”

 

She also cited concerns about potential violations that demanded oversight:

  • “We went there to check everything out, to make sure the facility was up to par, and to make sure detainees were being treated fairly and that they were getting their due process.”

 

  • “We were able to speak to a few detainees about how they were not getting access to their lawyers or they had not been able to have phone calls or see any of their family members.”

 

When asked about charges brought against her, McIver did not mince words: 

  • “I honestly think it’s political intimidation. As I always say, I'm just the next person on their list. We have been seeing since January 20th, [...] weaponization from the Trump administration of different departments, and especially the DOJ. Whether it’s judges, political leaders that they’re investigating, we constantly continue to see this behavior.”

 

McIver made it clear that she will not be intimidated: 

  • “I'm looking forward to my day in court. I mean, I can't wait to get there, [...] where facts are on my side and the facts are going to come out. I look forward to that day.”

 

McIver, who represents a district where “about a third of people [...] were born outside the United States” addressed anti-immigrant policies and the unfolding situation in Los Angeles: 

  • “Trump's hateful immigration policies are at the doorsteps, in the backyards, of the people that I represent. We’ve seen them be extremely cruel. This is why we have this situation, because they are extremely cruel. Their policy is centered in cruelness: we've seen them deport children with cancer, we've seen them pick up students the last couple of days at school, we've seen them pick up people who are there for their court dates, we've seen them revoke student visas. [...] People are tired, they are fed up. This is why we see folks fighting back, speaking out, and it's unfortunate that now Trump is going to weaponize the military, weaponize the national guard, against Americans.”

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