A House Republican introduced a resolution to censure New Jersey Democrat LaMonica McIver, who was indicted in May for allegedly obstructing federal agents during a visit to an immigration facility.
Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana is also calling for McIver to be removed from the House Homeland Security Committee, Fox News reported.
His resolution states that her continued service on the panel would be a “significant conflict of interest” given the charges she’s facing.
McIver was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts, including assaulting and interfering with officers during a May 9 incident at the Delaney Hall Immigration Facility in Newark.
The resolution also cites House rules requiring members to “behave at all times in a manner that shall reflect creditably on the House,” and argues McIver’s conduct falls short of that standard.
At the time of the incident, McIver and two other lawmakers were conducting an official oversight visit that overlapped with a protest.
According to the Justice Department, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka entered a secured area inside the facility. Federal agents warned him to leave, and when they attempted to arrest him, McIver allegedly intervened.
Prosecutors say she wrapped her arms around the mayor, slammed her forearm into one officer, and grabbed another. McIver has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to stand trial on November 10.
After her arraignment, she accused the Trump administration and its allies of weaponizing the Department of Justice.
“At the end of the day, this is all about political intimidation,” she claimed. “They’ve weaponized the federal government. They’ve weaponized the DOJ. And anyone who stands up to them or criticizes them ends up here.”
In a statement to Axios, McIver, who is black, predictably responded to the censure push by calling Higgins a “bigot who wants to be back in the news.”
“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,” she said. “Good luck, Clay.”
Higgins told Axios he held off on the resolution until the start of Congress’s five-week recess to give Democrats time to remove McIver from her committee.
House Republicans require indicted members to give up all committee assignments. Democrats only require indicted lawmakers to surrender leadership positions.
“She should not be participating on the committee that has oversight and voting authority over the branch of federal government that she’s been indicted for committing crimes against,” Higgins said.
Federal officials released new information in June regarding the temporary arrest of a New York state Democrat during a scuffle with Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Tuesday.
ICE agents arrested state Comptroller Brad Lander, who is a candidate for New York City mayor, after he allegedly assaulted one of them while trying to prevent the arrest of a suspected illegal immigrant. Lander repeatedly demanded that agents produce a “judicial warrant” to justify their actions.
“You don’t have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens asking for a judicial warrant,” Lander shouted at one point.
Left-wing “Squad” Democrat Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York added, “He asked ICE for their warrant — well within his legal rights.”
The Washington Times reported that “experts said that misunderstood immigration law. Immigration enforcement, particularly in the country’s interior, is usually a civil matter with the punishment being deportation.
“ICE deportation officers making those arrests operate under administrative warrants, not judicial warrants, since there is no criminal charge but rather an accusation of illegal presence,” the Times report noted further.
Even as news of his arrest broke, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was on the Senate floor defending his recent confrontation with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem regarding immigration enforcement and the deployment of the National Guard in Los Angeles.
He, too, found himself in handcuffs, though he was not arrested or detained.