House rejects effort to censure New Jersey congresswoman over detention-center actions
Lawmakers voted to table a GOP-sponsored resolution to remove Rep. LaMonica McIver from an immigration and national security committee as she faces federal charges.
The House voted 215-207 on Wednesday to table a resolution that would have censured Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., and removed her from a committee that oversees immigration and national security, effectively defeating a Republican effort to punish the lawmaker over actions at an immigration detention facility.
The measure was sponsored by Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., and prompted sharp partisan exchanges on the floor as members debated whether to proceed while McIver faces federal charges related to a visit to the facility. A trial in her case is scheduled for November. Democrats unanimously voted to table the resolution; five Republicans joined them, and two others voted present.
As the resolution was being read, tensions rose on the chamber floor. Some Democratic members shouted "Liar," and one lawmaker yelled "Shame," while many Republicans streamed out of the chamber before the vote concluded. When the tally was announced, Democrats cheered and embraced one another.
In a post on social media after the vote, McIver called the effort "a baseless, partisan effort to shut me up" and said she would not back down. Republican backers of the measure said they sought to punish McIver for her conduct during the detention-center visit, arguing it warranted formal censure and removal from the committee that handles immigration and national security issues.
Several lawmakers who opposed moving forward said they were uncomfortable taking disciplinary action while criminal proceedings remain pending. The House vote to table left in place McIver's committee assignment for now as the legal process proceeds toward the scheduled November trial.
The episode underscored partisan divisions over oversight of immigration enforcement and lawmaker conduct, and highlighted competing views on whether congressional discipline should await the outcome of related court cases. The narrow margin and cross-party defections signaled both resistance to censure while a case is pending and the contentiousness of the issue on Capitol Hill.