ICYMI: McIver Writes about Juneteenth for Rolling Stone

With Court Appearance Upcoming, Congresswoman Facing 17 Years in Prison Reflects on Freedom and Progress

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In case you missed it, in recognition of Juneteenth, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver (NJ-10) wrote an op-ed for Rolling Stone, reflecting on freedom and what progress means to her as she is targeted by the Trump Department of Justice (DOJ). McIver, who faces 17 years in prison on charges stemming from a legally authorized oversight visit to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center, writes on the “audacious and crafty new ways” the administration is working “to strip away Black and brown power.”

“One thing you should know about me: I’m fiercely protective of my people. Maybe it comes from being the oldest child and helping raise my siblings, or being a mom myself. But if you come for my community, you will answer to me.”

- Rep. McIver

Below are excerpts from the op-ed. The full piece is available here.

McIver, on the complex reminders of Juneteenth: 

• “Juneteenth is a complicated holiday. It’s a celebration of Black liberation and resilience. It’s also a reminder that no victory in the fight for freedom is permanent. Perhaps most of all, it’s a call to a nation with a soul divided to ask ourselves what the path to liberation looks like today — and what it takes to follow it.”

McIver, on the targeting of Black and brown communities: 

• “Seemingly every day, we bear witness to audacious and crafty new ways to strip away Black and brown power. [...] We see it in a country that, as it approaches its 250th anniversary, still lives in the shadows of racism — shadows that grow deeper and wider as this president appeals to a vision of America in which belonging is about blood and soil.

“As urgent and painful an example as any is how Donald Trump has marshaled the full force of the federal government to terrorize and brutalize communities of color, including our immigrant communities. At its core, Juneteenth teaches us that liberation must include everyone — not just those who conform to the people in power’s idea of what it means to be an American.

“These are the raging waters of our moment — and I’ve found myself more than neck-deep.”

McIver, on the recurring theme of Black women standing in the gaps:

• “For what it’s worth, Black women have always known this. We’ve never had the luxury of taking democracy for granted. It’s why we’ve always stepped into the gaps — for our families, our communities, and everybody else’s, too. Go to any protest. We’re on the front lines. Check any election. We vote, we organize, we show up. Because we know precisely what’s at stake.”

McIver, on the urgent need for courage: 

• “We are not called to certainty — we are called to courage. It’s what this moment demands of all of us. Our freedom depends on it. We don’t have to know how we’ll get across the sea before we wade in neck-deep.

“We just need to have faith that the first step is the right one and keep walking. Because we know this: raging waters have parted before, but never once for those who stayed on the shore.”

Rolling Stone has covered the case against McIver in past. Oral arguments in that case will take place in Wilmington, DE, this coming Wednesday, June 24.

McIver is appealing a federal judge’s decision to deny her pretrial motions to dismiss the case. The arguments before the Third Circuit will be on a Motion To Dismiss Based On Selective Enforcement And Prosecution, and Vindictive Prosecution, and a Motion To Dismiss Based On Legislative Immunity. The Motion To Dismiss Based On Legislative Immunity has serious implications for the ability of members of Congress to conduct oversight of ICE and the executive branch at large.