LWVUS and the LWV of New Jersey issued a joint statement in response to the indictment of Representative LaMonica McIver on federal charges brought by the Department of Justice for an alleged altercation with immigration officers outside a New Jersey immigrant detention center.

ICE’s operations in Los Angeles and around California mark a troubling escalation – workplace raids coupled with the arrest of community members exercising their First Amendment rights to observe and protest. These tactics, along with the federal activation of the California National Guard and the deployment of U.S. Marines, weaponize fear to terrorize not just undocumented residents, but anyone who would stand with their neighbors or participate in democratic discourse.