The House is preparing to vote on a Republican-backed resolution to formally censure Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) and remove her from the House Homeland Security Committee.
Why It Matters:
McIver was indicted last month on three counts of interfering with law enforcement after an altercation with ICE agents in May. She has pleaded not guilty and denies any wrongdoing, claiming she was assaulted during the chaotic encounter outside the Delaney Hall detention center in Newark. Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was also arrested during the incident.
According to Justice Department prosecutors, McIver allegedly elbowed and grabbed an ICE agent during the confrontation. She maintains that she was fulfilling her Congressional oversight duties at the time.
What’s Happening:
Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.) introduced a privileged resolution on Wednesday to force a vote on censuring McIver. Under House rules, leadership must bring the measure to the floor within days of the chamber’s return in September unless Higgins withdraws it.
The three-page resolution accuses McIver of behavior that “does not reflect creditably on the House” and argues that her continued role on the Homeland Security Committee poses a “significant conflict of interest” due to her indictment. The measure does not address her role on the House Small Business Committee.
What They’re Saying:
Higgins told Axios he waited until the August recess to give Democrats a chance to act first and remove McIver themselves. He noted that while Republicans require their indicted members to give up all committee assignments, Democratic rules only require stepping down from leadership roles on committees.
“She shouldn’t be sitting on a committee that oversees the very federal agency she’s been charged with obstructing,” Higgins said.
In response, McIver fired back in a strongly worded statement:
“Clay Higgins is a bigot who wants to be back in the news,” she said via a spokesperson. “This resolution aims to kick me off the committee that presides over the Department of Homeland Security and shame me for doing the oversight work that is my job. Good luck, Clay.”
Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-N.J.), who was with McIver during the Delaney Hall visit, defended her colleague, saying McIver is being “singled out” for exposing unsafe conditions at the ICE facility—where a wall had reportedly collapsed and four detainees escaped.
Both lawmakers argue the resolution is a political distraction from Republican divisions over newly released files related to Jeffrey Epstein.
What to Watch:
House Republican leadership has not yet said whether it will support or oppose the resolution. A spokesperson for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) declined to comment. Higgins, meanwhile, indicated he did not seek leadership approval but gave them advance notice before filing the motion.
