House Rejects GOP Censure Of Rep. McIver Over Ice Indictment

The House voted down on Wednesday a Republican-led effort to censure U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-10th), the Newark native who was indicted by federal prosecutors earlier this summer.

All Democrats opposed the resolution to censure, joined by five Republicans. Two GOP members voted present.

Shortly after the vote, McIver wrote a post on X where she described the censure as a “baseless, partisan effort” to quiet her.

“I was not elected to play political games–I was elected to serve. I won’t back down. Not now. Not ever,” she wrote.

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-Lousiana) introduced the measure on Tuesday, after failing to bring the resolution before Congress’s August recess. Higgins criticized Democrats for “shielding one of their own” while GOP leaders framed the censure as a matter of public accountability.

The push to censure McIver comes amid a wave of Republican efforts to paint Democrats as soft on crime and to tie them to unrest, part of a broader law‑and‑order message heading into an election year.

Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba indicted McIver in June on charges of assaulting, resisting, and interfering with immigration officers during a May 9 confrontation in Newark. That same day, authorities also arrested Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D), though charges against him were later dropped.

The May 9 incident unfolded during a protest outside a federal facility, where both Baraka and McIver were surrounded by supporters, advocates, and local activists. A video released by the Department of Homeland Security shows McIver being jostled in the crowd. While prosecutors allege she made physical contact with officers, it is unclear from the footage whether she actively struck anyone.

McIver, who succeeded longtime Rep. Donald Payne Jr. after his death in office last year, has denied wrongdoing and framed the charges as politically motivated. Her allies in Newark and among New Jersey Democrats have described the indictment as overreach by federal authorities, pointing to the dropped charges against Baraka as further evidence.

The failed censure vote underscores the partisan battle lines around McIver’s case while leaving her legal fight ahead unresolved.