Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, Congresswoman LaMonica McIver argues for a dismissal of her assault charges comparing her incident to the January 6th insurrectionists who were pardoned.

Also, rip current warnings, Governor Murphy and state officials continue to caution beachgoers of the dangerous water Hurricane Erin is churning up.

I would just say to you flat out, don't go in the water.

I don't want to be the Amityville mayor in jaws, but the fact of the matter is that they're going in the ocean for the next number of days is something you've got to avoid.

Also we take you inside immigration court where a massive case backlog is putting more undocumented children at risk of deportation.

You could feel a sense of fear in the air because people have been detained by immigration officers while they're following the legal procedures and going to their court hearings.

And water woes, the Trenton city council debates the future of its troubled water utility as it sits on the brink of catastrophic failure.

NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Tuesday night.

I'm Brianna Vanozzi.

We begin with a few of today's top stories.

First, Democratic Congresswoman Lamonica MacIver says she's being treated worse by the justice department than January 6th rioters.

Attorneys for the freshman representative are requesting a dismissal of federal assault charges against her, calling the charges unconstitutional in new court filings and accused federal prosecutors of going after her for political reasons.

MacIver pleaded not guilty in June to federal charges of assaulting, resisting and obstructing Homeland Security agents during a May 9th visit to Delaney Hall, the Newark immigration detention facility where MacIver clashed with federal agents during a congressional oversight visit alongside Democratic Congress members, Bonnie Watson Coleman and Rob Menendez Jr. As agents attempted to arrest Newark Mayor Raz Baraka.

MacIver's attorneys argue the charges against her should be thrown out just as similar charges against dozens of people in the January 6th riots at the US Capitol were tossed.

If convicted, MacIver could face up to 17 years in prison.

Also tonight, don't let this nice weather fool you.

The water still isn't safe, according to state and local leaders who held a press conference today, continuing to warn beachgoers to avoid the ocean this week as Hurricane Erin turns up dangerous rip currents and swells along the Jersey shore.

Erin isn't expected to make landfall in New Jersey, but it's still a dangerous storm rated as a category two hurricane with sustained winds of 105 miles per hour as of this afternoon.

While that means it'll create waves at the shore that reach more than 10 feet high and life threatening conditions in the waters throughout the weekend.

At least 16 beach towns have already put bans on swimming today, most of them in ocean and Monmouth counties, but Island Beach State Park is also closed to swimmers.

The Coast Guard today urged boaters to take caution before heading out to sea while environmental officials warned Erin is expected to bring significant coastal flooding to shore communities and towns along the tidal portions of the Delaware, Raritan, Passaic and Hudson rivers.

The storm led to evacuation orders in North Carolina's Outer Banks, but that scenario is unlikely here.

And people shopping for health coverage through the Affordable Care Act marketplace should brace for sticker shock next year.

Health insurers have asked the state for permission to increase premiums by double digits starting in 2026, blaming rising medical costs and the expected end of federal aid that helped keep the plans affordable.

According to filings with the New Jersey Division of Banking and Insurance, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, which by the way is the biggest insurer in the marketplace, is proposing an average hike of 17%, while AmeriHealth, which holds the second largest share, is proposing 15%, and UnitedHealthcare is asking for the biggest jump to more than 18%.

The proposals would affect about half a million New Jersey residents who buy their coverage through the state portal called Get Covered NJ, which could reverse years of an uptick in people getting their insurance through the state market.

And coming up, we take you inside Immigration Court where young kids are increasingly showing up alone to face potential deportation.

Funding for NJ Spotlight News provided by the members of the New Jersey Education Association.

Making public schools great for every child.

RWJBarnabas Health.

Let's be healthy together.

New Jersey Realtors, the voice of real estate in New Jersey.

More information is online at njrealtor.com.

And Forrester, committed to delivering clean, reliable, American-made energy.

NJ Spotlight News recently spent several days inside a courtroom few Americans ever see.

One where young children are increasingly facing immigration judges without parents, without lawyers, and without understanding the system they've been thrust into.

In Newark's Immigration Court, a massive case backlog and ramped up enforcement under the Trump administration have created a tense and often heartbreaking environment, especially for unaccompanied minors.

Education and Child Welfare writer Hannah Gross visited the courthouse observing the human stories hidden inside the immigration debate.

And she joins us now to share what she saw.

Hannah, good to see you.

I know you spent considerable time.

What struck you most about what you witnessed there?

Thanks, Brie.

I mean, a lot of the kids were very young.

And some of them were there without a parent or legal guardian with people who it seemed like they didn't know very well.

So having to face an immigration judge who's going to determine if you're allowed to stay in this country, stay with your family, be sent to a country where maybe you don't really consider home, maybe you don't feel safe there, facing that alone for these children seemed like it was very difficult.

What was the atmosphere like?

What was the mood that you could pick up from these young children, some as young as 10 years old, from what you observed?

It was very somber, very serious.

You could feel a sense of fear in the air because people have been detained by immigration officers while they're following the legal procedures and going to their court hearings.

So you could be deported and you don't know what's going to happen to you.

So there's a little bit of fear and unease.

There was a young girl who you wrote about who showed up with an adult who was not a parent, not a legal guardian.

Can you tell us a little bit about that situation and what it says about the fear that these families are living with?

So the girl came to speak to the judge and the judge asked, "Who's the woman that's with you?"

And it was a little bit hard for the girl to parse out.

It was a friend of the mom who had put them in touch because what was later revealed is that the mom herself is not in the country legally and was too scared to show up to immigration court with her daughter for fear of being deported.

And the judge said, "I understand that fear, but it's unacceptable for you to send your daughter to face me alone, who is also facing deportation."

And so the mom was actually standing or waiting somewhere outside of the courthouse and had not come in, but the chaperone went to go get the mom and bring her in and she ultimately reunited with her daughter and faced the judge and was warned, "Next time, you really need to come with your daughter."

And this is all unfolding before you.

What's your sense?

Did it seem like this was somewhat routine for a day in immigration court with minors?

After speaking with some immigration attorneys, this is becoming increasingly common as the arrests have increased in courthouses across the country, including in Newark, so has this fear.

And so some people are sending their kids with US citizens or legal permanent residents because they can't guarantee that if they show up to court, they won't be deported.

Yeah.

Talk to me a little bit about this backlog that we mentioned.

How big is it?

And how does that affect families and their children's chances of being able to stay in the US?

In the overall backlog in Newark, there's over 200,000 pending cases as of June, and that includes children and adults who are in removal proceedings and facing deportation.

There's New Jersey being one of the few states that offers free legal help for these families, for undocumented immigrants.

How well is the system able to keep up then when you have such a massive backlog and more cases waiting in the queue?

The system can't meet the demand that there is for attorneys.

The program that we have in New Jersey focuses on unaccompanied children who crossed into the United States alone.

They're the priority, but other children are served as well, but they can't all receive the legal services they need.

And if you have an attorney, your odds of getting relief and being able to stay in the country are much higher.

Do we have any idea, Hannah, how many of those children there are in the system?

Is there any means, accurate means, of tracking that?

It's hard to track the number of children who are in removal proceedings because the tracking data changed in 2017 during Trump's first term as president.

And since then, a research center at Syracuse University that tracks all of the immigration data says that it's too faulty to really use this data to know how many kids are running through the system right now.

I mean, and we should know, right, another difficulty there is just how buttoned up these courtrooms are.

You couldn't bring a phone, camera, anything of that nature, right?

Yes.

There's not a clear public schedule shared online of when these hearings are happening.

So the first time I went, I sort of wandered in and asked, "Is there anything happening today in immigration court?"

I was given permission to sit in.

But you can't record.

You're not allowed to have any phones or computers in there turned on.

So I just had my notebook.

Hannah Gross, great reporting.

Really appreciate it.

You can read Hannah's story on this and all of her coverage on our website, njspotlightnews.org.

Hannah, thanks for coming in.

Thanks for having me, Brie.

In our spotlight on business report tonight, the future of the Trenton Water Works has been the subject of fiery debate in recent weeks, and tensions between city leaders and state regulators ratcheted up at a special city council meeting last night.

Authorities have warned for months that the utility, which serves more than 200,000 customers across Trenton and surrounding suburbs, is on the brink of failure, and that the best way to save it is through regional leadership.

But that plan faces intense pushback from Trenton leaders who are adamant the water works should remain solely under city control.

Well, New Jersey's top environmental official tried to change their minds last night, but faced a grilling instead.

Senior correspondent Joanna Gaggis reports.

I'm here to talk about the infrastructure, the ability to maintain it, and a better way that can be pursued that does not rip away from the city its asset and ability to generate revenue.

It's a fight for control of the capital city's water utility, Trenton Water Works, or so some think.

In a fiery city council meeting last night, Sean LaTourette, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, presented a litany of reasons why the state supports Trenton and surrounding suburbs, creating a regional authority to govern its water utility.

The system is at an extremely high risk of systemic failure that the city alone cannot repair even with the support and stabilization from the DEP.

The city received two recent reports outlining the utility's failures with five options for moving forward, one of them regionalization.

The next step would be a study to analyze what regionalization could look like.

Senior Reid Gusiora worked with LaTourette to develop an RFP for the study.

LaTourette thought the city council was on board, but the council knew nothing about it and thought they were being strong-armed when they received a letter from the DEP at the end of July.

I think that that's where you're getting the biggest pushback is it does seem like the DEP is saying you need to assess regionalization and all five options to see what would be comfortable for Trentonians.

But if you thought that's where the two sides came together, not even close.

The council pushed back on the idea that the utility is failing, hanging their hats on the safe drinking water in the latest tests.

You're telling me at this moment that the quality of water in the Trenton water department is a failure, correct?

Yes, but I think that misses the point though.

The system is receiving a lot of support from the state government and from outside contractors.

The concern is that that is unsustainable.

The DEP sued Trenton Waterworks in 2020 for several compliance failures, but that lawsuit was put on hold by LaTourette two years ago when he bolstered the system with state support, even helping them complete grant applications.

TWW is still not in compliance in many areas, but maintaining local control is a point of deep pride for Trentonians who rejected privatization several years ago.

You're saying that you're not sure if it's sustainable or not.

My question to you is if you are here not to take something that is of value to us and to collaborate with us, why not empower us to maintain our own water system?

Compliance with the law is your obligation, not mine.

Compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act is your obligation, not mine.

And the goal is not selling it off.

The goal is not to take it away, but to help put it on a better footing.

The regionalization study would analyze the financials of Trenton Waterworks and how it could bond separate and apart from the city, which LaTourette says would put both the city and the utility on better financial footing.

One council member suggested creating a Trenton-run authority.

What are your thoughts on that being an alternative to Trenton's own model with a credible reform plan, would that be something to set the mood to the DDP?

We put out an RFP to bring some contracted additional support into the city, and not a single company would bid.

If you tried to do a separate authority that's still of the city, I think you'll have that same problem.

I was in favor of the regionalization study as a way for council to get that information from the beginning.

I still am, but it shouldn't be forced upon Trentonians as the commissioner made clear tonight.

But the council also heard from community members and Waterworks employees who made their case clear as water.

There's value to our asset.

Don't give it away.

We already homeless.

You got people sleeping in the street.

We have no other revenue.

And if they take that, guess what?

They're going to take everything you got.

Well, let me tell Murphy something, and you can take this back to him.

The residents in the city of Trenton, we are ready to fight.

If it's a fight they want, it's a fight that might just end with both sides in court if the utility isn't able to meet compliance very soon.

In Trenton, I'm Joanna Gaggis, NJ Spotlight News.

For the Business Report is provided by the Newark Alliance presents the 2025 Halsey Fest featuring the vibrancy of Newark's Arts and Education District and Halsey Street.

Halsey, a neighborhood built on hustle and heart.

The 2025 Halsey Fest schedule is available at HalseyNWK.com.

Several high ranking New Jersey politicians are facing growing criticism after taking recent trips to Israel, igniting what could be a political storm come election time.

Democratic Congress members Nellie Poe and Herb Conaway are getting backlash for making the trip with APAC affiliated American Israel Education Foundation, with critics calling the timing tone deaf amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocates defending it as a show of the steadfast alliance between the US and Israel.

While Poe and Conaway aren't alone, Republican GOP nominee for governor Jack Ciatarelli also touched down in Israel earlier this month, saying he wants to partner with and support Israel in every way, even as President Trump and others in his orbit have publicly pushed back on Israel's handling of the crisis.

So is it all smart politics or a growing liability?

Micah Rasmussen, director of the Rebovic Institute for New Jersey Politics joins me now to help break it all down.

Micah good to see you.

What's your take on the political optics of Democrats like Herb Conaway, like Nellie Poe taking this trip at a time when tensions are high about what really has been classified as a global humanitarian crisis in Gaza?

I think it's particularly interesting in Nellie Poe's district.

And the reason for that is because it's such a melting pot.

You know, look, all of New Jersey is, but you've got a very large Palestinian population, a very large Jewish population, and kind of at differences right now with respect to international affairs, with respect to, I think, Netanyahu's administration is a lightning rod, the humanitarian crisis that's going on.

And so this is not just a situation in which you do outreach to an ethnic group or a religious group and you think you're invisible to everybody else.

Right now, everybody's noticing this stuff.

MAGA is not particularly happy about the idea of pandering to Israel, right?

Liberals are not, you know, progressives are not that excited about that.

And so I understand that in normal times you go to Israel because it's the smart thing to do to show that you're sensitizing yourself to Jewish issues.

But right now, everybody's noticing and it means different things to different people.

Well, you brought up Nellie Poe's constituency.

She has a sizable Palestinian-American population there.

I wonder how that plays for her.

Is it riskier for her because of that than, say, someone like Herb Conaway when it comes to the midterm elections?

I think overall you still have that traditional reason why people go to--why our elected officials go to Israel.

And again, it's to show that you're in touch, to show that you're educating yourself, to show that you are in tune with the needs and the issues that are important to the Jewish population in the state.

And it's a big constituency.

Let's face it.

You know, we have over 600,000 Jewish residents in New Jersey.

And so it's not--you know, we're the fourth largest state for Jewish residents.

And so, you know, showing you're sensitive is smart politics.

But again, it is complicated right now by all of the fraught issues that are surrounding Israel, that are surrounding Palestine, and especially when it's concentrated, as it is in the Ninth District.

I think less of a risk for Conaway.

And look, I mean, if Nellie Poe thought that it was a big risk for her, she wouldn't be doing it.

So--but it's just interesting.

When you think about Jack Ciannarelli going, which I know we're going to talk about, he's hoping to make a play in Passaic County.

This potentially complicates that.

Passaic County--and I know you and I spoke back during primaries and over the course of the last year just how key of an area that's going to be for a lot of statewide elections.

But let me just go back to Poe and Conaway, because they did vote against an AIPAC-sanctioned bill fairly recently.

And they have taken some stronger stances in terms of calling for a ceasefire, in terms of calling for more humanitarian aid.

Nellie Poe in particular, does that get lost, though, in just the outrage of what's going on, especially when you're talking about their base being sort of young, progressive folks who have been very against this war?

That's a good question.

And when I think about those particular issues, I think about the fact that the mainstream, if you want to call it that, right, and even mainstream Jewish voters, support the idea of a ceasefire, support--generally these are very popular issues.

We have polar sides here that are trying to pull us to each side.

They're trying to pull the discussion to each side.

It's not necessarily where most of us are.

Most of us are sort of in the middle and aren't getting politics that are in the middle.

But this definitely is a situation where spokespeople and activists and interest groups are definitely trying to pull us to one side or the other.

Yeah, it's a great point.

Okay, so you brought up Republican gubernatorial nominee Jack Cittarelli.

What's your take on his decision to make this trip?

He made a similar one back in 2021, but he's sort of campaigning from there.

Is it smart outreach to a key constituency?

How does this play?

I think what Jack is hoping to do is--look, we know that across the country about seven out of ten Jewish adult voters identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party.

Half of those count themselves as liberal, and that's according to Pew, and that's pretty much a constant.

He knows that if he can peel off some of those--not everybody, not the whole group--but if he can peel off one out of ten of those, if he can pull off half out of ten of those, you know, if he can pull off 5 percent of those, then he is taking votes directly out of the Sheryl Column, reliable Democratic votes.

And so that's what he's hoping to do.

Again, it's complicated by all of these fraud issues that are surrounding our international affairs in that region right now.

In the 30 seconds we have left, Cittarelli has said that he's the most pro-Israel candidate in this governor's race.

How does that work on a statewide level in both GOP strongholds but also in diverse urban districts?

Does that come back to haunt him?

It's funny.

We all say--we hear a lot of bring it back to New Jersey, you know, make it about New Jersey.

And I think there are issues that may be important to Jewish voters in New Jersey, like, you know, the rise of anti-Semitic incidents or bias in the state.

But these are global issues.

We say--he says a lot, don't make it about Trump, but now he wants to make it about world affairs.

So I guess we do this, and we bring it closer or farther out, depending on what we think is to our advantage.

Kind of hard not to make it about world affairs lately.

Micah Rasmussen for us.

Micah, thanks so much.

Thank you.

That's going to do it for us tonight.

But a reminder, you can download our podcast wherever you listen and watch us anytime by subscribing to the NJ Spotlight News YouTube channel.

Plus, you can follow us on Instagram and BlueSky to stay up to date on all the state's big headlines.

And if you want to help support the programming public media brings you and keep stations like this one thriving, head to NJSpotlightNews.org/donate.

I'm Brianna Vanosy.

For the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening.

We'll see you right back here tomorrow.

NJM Insurance Group, serving the insurance needs of residents and businesses for more than 100 years.

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and by the PSCG Foundation.

Have some water.

Look at these kids.

What do you see?

I see myself.

I became an ESL teacher to give my students what I wanted when I came to this country.

The opportunity to learn, to dream, to achieve, a chance to belong and to be an American.

My name is Julia Torriani-Crompton, and I'm proud to be an NJEA member.

Public service is what we do at the PSCG Foundation.

Through volunteer hours, partnerships, and our other contributions, we're committed to empowering communities.

We work hand in hand with you, our neighbors, to educate young people, support research, environmental sustainability, and equitable opportunities, provide training and other services all over New Jersey and Long Island, uplifting communities.

That's what drives us, the PSCG Foundation.

[Music]