LaMonica McIver

A Democratic congresswoman’s provocative line of questioning to acting ICE Director Todd Lyons on Tuesday was condemned by the White House, which claimed the lawmaker “stepped out of line.”

Rep. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J., asked Lyons if he is a religious man during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Tuesday. The acting ICE director then said he is.

“OK, well how do you think judgment day will work for you with so much blood on your hands?” McIver continued.

Lyons said he would not “entertain that question.”

“Oh, OK. Of course not. Do you think you’re going to hell, Mr. Lyons?” the congresswoman asked.

House Homeland Security Chairman Andrew Garbarino, a Republican from New York, then banged his gavel to remind McIver that she “must adhere to established standards of decorum and debate.

“I will continue to remind members that while oversight is important, aggressively attacking those witnesses personally is inappropriate, and not in keeping with the traditions of our committee.”

McIver said she was “just asking a question.

“You guys are always talking about religion here and the Bible,” she told Garbarino, referring to House Republicans. “I mean, it’s O.K. for me to ask a question, right?”

McIver’s questioning was slammed by the White House’s rapid response account on X.

The New Jersey congresswoman “steps completely out of line, gets corrected during a committee hearing: ‘Do you think you’re going to hell, Mr. Lyons?’ This is seriously messed up,” the account tweeted:

Lyons was one of the three heads of agencies implementing President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda to testify in a hearing called after the shooting deaths of two Americans at the hands of federal officers. They faced fierce questioning from Democrats, and support from most Republicans, over how they are prosecuting immigration enforcement inside American cities, the Associated Press reported.

“Let me send a message to anyone who thinks they can intimidate us. You will fail,” said Lyons, who blamed elected officials and protesters for escalating rhetoric that he said endangered his officers. Lyons, who at various points declined to comment directly on the killings of the two U.S. citizens, said his officers would not be deterred and he did not apologize for their actions.

“We are only getting started,” he said in opening remarks.

Trump’s immigration campaign has been heavily scrutinized in recent weeks, especially after the shooting deaths in Minneapolis. The agencies have also faced criticism for a wave of policies that critics say trample on the rights of both immigrants facing arrest and Americans protesting the enforcement actions. The testimony is unlikely to quell simmering tensions over the centerpiece policy of Trump’s second term.