Across the country, a new defense is being heard in state and federal courtrooms. From Democratic members of Congress to judges to city council members, officials claim that their duties include obstructing the official functions of the federal government.

It is a type of liberal license that excuses almost any crime in the name of combating what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the “modern-day Gestapo” of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

The latest claimant of this license is Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), who was charged with assaulting, resisting, and impeding law enforcement officers during a protest at Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey.