Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver of New Jersey’s 10th District visited the Delaney Hall Detention Facility in Newark, joined by fellow U.S. Reps. Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez.

Their goal was clear and constitutional: to conduct oversight of a federally operated immigration detention center that has drawn widespread concern over its conditions and its connection to an alarming rise in unjust arrests, particularly of Black and brown immigrants.

Instead of being met with transparency, these elected leaders were confronted by masked, militarized federal agents. What should have been a routine and lawful inspection escalated into a disturbing clash—one that ended with Rep. McIver charged with a crime for doing the very job the people elected her to do.

Let us be clear: This is not about law enforcement. It’s about power—who holds it, who questions it, and who gets punished for doing so.

These charges are not rooted in justice; they are rooted in retaliation. This administration is sending a message: When Black women lead with integrity and courage, they will be met not with respect, but with resistance and reprisal.

Delaney Hall is a facility that already has come under scrutiny for its treatment of detainees, many of whom are immigrants of color. In this climate, oversight is not just appropriate—it is imperative. Rep. McIver’s presence there was an act of service to her constituents and to the democratic principles she swore to uphold.

The Department of Justice may attempt to frame this prosecution as impartial law enforcement. But we know better. When lawfully elected officials—especially Black women—are met with force, criminalized for oversight and punished for defending their communities, it is not justice. It is authoritarianism.

 Congresswoman LaMonica McIver
 Photo courtesy of the McIver campaign  

This moment is not just about Rep. McIver. It’s about the dangerous precedent this administration is setting—one where holding institutions accountable is met with intimidation and punishment.

It reflects a deeper, enduring pattern in this country: the policing of Black bodies and the systemic discrediting of Black leadership, especially when that leadership challenges injustice.

If visiting a detention facility can get a member of Congress charged, what hope do ordinary citizens have of being heard, protected or treated with dignity?

We refuse to be silent. We know Black women have always led movements for justice. We know the power of our voice, and we will not allow it to be silenced by political prosecutions or weaponized law enforcement.

The writer is the president and CEO of Higher Heights for America, a national organization dedicated to building Black women’s political power and leadership.