Democratic Representative LaMonica McIver finds herself at the center of a heated controversy following a confrontation at Newark's Delaney Hall Detention Center.

According to Breitbart, the New Jersey congresswoman strongly denied accusations from the Department of Homeland Security that she body slammed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer during Newark Mayor Ras Baraka's arrest last week.

The incident occurred during what was supposed to be a routine congressional oversight visit to the detention facility. McIver, along with other congressional representatives, had arrived to inspect the conditions at Delaney Hall when the situation escalated into a physical confrontation, resulting in the arrest of Mayor Baraka.

Tension escalates between federal officers and local officials

During a Sunday appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," host Dana Bash pressed McIver about footage showing her in a red blazer during the confrontation. The Department of Homeland Security had accused the representative of both trespassing and physically assaulting an ICE officer.

McIver responded to these allegations during the interview, emphasizing that the situation was unnecessarily escalated by ICE officers. She maintained that the congressional delegation was simply performing their official duties through an oversight visit.

Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, who was also present during the incident, supported McIver's account of events. Both lawmakers insisted they were acting within their congressional authority to conduct facility inspections.

Conflicting accounts raise questions about detention center incident

McIver addressed the body-slamming accusations directly on the CNN program, stating:

Absolutely no. I mean, I honestly do not know how to body slam anyone. There's no video that supports me body slamming anyone. We, as Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman said we were simply there to do our job. There for an oversight visit. What you watch what you're watching in the video, and we don't have all of the body cam, and we hope that all of the body cam is released.

The representative expressed particular concern about the arrest of Mayor Baraka, who serves as both her mayor and constituent. She emphasized that the confrontation could have been avoided entirely had ICE officials handled the situation differently.

The Department of Homeland Security has maintained its position regarding the events, though McIver and her colleagues have called for the release of all body camera footage to provide a complete picture of the incident.

Calls for transparency amid ongoing investigation

Questions remain about the specific circumstances that led to Mayor Baraka's arrest. Congressional representatives present during the incident have demanded full transparency from federal authorities.

The confrontation has highlighted ongoing tensions between federal immigration enforcement agencies and local government officials. Several advocacy groups have called for an independent investigation into the incident. DHS officials have indicated they are conducting an internal review of the events, though no timeline has been provided for when this investigation might conclude.

A complex situation unfolds

Representative LaMonica McIver's denial of body-slamming an ICE officer at Newark's Delaney Hall Detention Center has brought national attention to what began as a routine congressional oversight visit.

The incident, which resulted in the arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, occurred when tensions escalated between federal immigration officers and visiting officials. As investigations continue and calls for the release of body camera footage grow louder, both ICE and congressional representatives maintain different accounts of how the confrontation unfolded at the detention facility.