A Democratic member of Congress is expressing regret over voting in favor of the Laken Riley Act, a bill signed by President Donald Trump in January that requires members of Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain any immigrant in the U.S. illegally who is arrested, charged, or convicted of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.
The new law also requires ICE to detain immigrants unlawfully present in the U.S. who have been charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer and acts causing death or injury.
Rep. Jahana Hayes, D-Connecticut, said during a CNN town hall that she wishes she had voted against the bill. She was one of 46 Democrats to vote in favor.
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“As I’ve thought about it over the last couple of months, I probably would have voted differently. It’s a vote that I regret," she said.
She stated that she voted for the bill because of a provision that stipulated that immigrants unlawfully in the U.S. would be detained if charged with assaulting an officer.
"I trusted that (the Trump) administration wanted to have border security, they wanted to work with Democrats, that we could actually move forward," she said. "I am not really sure of that because I have seen the rhetoric that has come out and the attacks that have been targeted toward immigrants, so I am very cautious and careful when I am negotiating my votes forward."
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Fellow Democratic Rep. Derek Tran appeared to stand by his vote in favor of the bill.
“I did vote with my Republican colleagues on the Laken Riley Act because I draw a line when it comes to crime,” he said, adding that those in the U.S. illegally who commit crimes should be deported.
Tran and Hayes were joined by Republican Reps. Mike Lawler of New York and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania for a town hall featuring four members of Congress from swing districts.
The Laken Riley Act was the first bill President Trump signed into law in his second term.
