❓WHAT HAPPENED: Democrat lawmakers are retracting their support for the Laken Riley Act, backed by President Donald J. Trump, as they face primary pressure from the pro-illegal immigrant far left.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Representative Angie Craig (D-MN), Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-MD), and Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT) are among those disavowing the law.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The disavowals are occurring in 2026 as the party prepares for internal primaries.
💬KEY QUOTE: “I regret my vote,” wrote Rep. Angie Craig in a local newspaper.
🎯IMPACT: The shift in stance reflects the growing influence of the far left in the Democrats’ internal party dynamics.
As the Democratic Party faces internal primary contests, several of its lawmakers have begun to distance themselves from the Laken Riley Act, a law championed by President Donald J. Trump that mandates the detention of non-citizens arrested for various crimes committed within the United States. The Act was passed with some Democrat support in late January 2025, following the murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old university student from the state of Georgia, by Venezuelan illegal immigrant José Antonio Ibarra. At the time of the murder, he was at large despite having previously been charged with “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation.”
Representative Angie Craig of Minnesota, facing criticism from a progressive opponent in the race for the Democrat Senate nomination in Minnesota, said of her prior support for the Act, “I regret my vote.” Joining Craig in retracting support are Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Rep. April McClain Delaney (D-MD), and Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT), all of whom have faced increasing pressure from leftist factions within their party.
Ibarra was convicted of both felony and malicious murder, kidnapping with bodily injury, aggravated battery and aggravated assault with intent to rape, false imprisonment, hindering an emergency phone call, concealing the death of another person, and criminal invasion of privacy.
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