Democratic Representative Derek Tran of California was grilled by a voter from his home state over why he voted for the GOP-backed Laken Riley Act on Thursday.
The Context
The Republican-backed Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia college student who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, dramatically expanded the scope of federal immigration enforcement.
Among other things, the measure directs federal authorities to detain, without bail, migrants arrested for certain crimes if they are in the U.S. illegally.
It was the first piece of legislation President Donald Trump signed into law in his second term.
Francis Chung/POLITICO via AP Images
What To Know
Tran defended his vote for the measure during a CNN town hall in which two Democrats and two Republicans from swing districts fielded questions from voters.
The question for Tran came from Johnny Nguyen, an energy engineer and Democrat based in California.
“Hey, congressman, so with Trump’s immigration policy and mass deportations, I’m getting really concerned about legislation like the Laken Riley Act, which begs the question about whether due process exists, still, in America,” Nguyen said while addressing Tran. “So given your background both as an attorney and as the son of immigrants, like myself, what made you vote yes on that?”
Tran responded: “Thanks, Johnny, for the question. And I did vote with my Republican colleagues on the Laken Riley Act because I draw the line when it comes to crime.”
He added: “You know, this is an instance where — you know, I came from very humble background. My parents were Vietnamese refugees who came to this country with nothing after the fall of Saigon, they had to get away from the Communist regime … I understand what it’s like to be an immigrant and I know how hard it is.”
Tran went on to say that while “we have to treat people with humanity and have empathy,” when it came to the Laken Riley Act, “I believe that when you commit a crime, you should be deported.”
“It made sense to me,” Tran said. “As a lawyer, I believe in law and order as well.”
The California lawmaker was one of 46 Democrats who crossed party lines and joined Republicans in voting to pass the Laken Riley Act. The majority of the party, however, was staunchly opposed to the law, arguing that it violated due process because it was unfair to suspects who had not been found guilty of crimes.
Tran was joined Thursday on the Democratic side by Representative Jahana Hayes of Connecticut. The two swing-district Republicans were Representatives Mike Lawler of New York and Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania.
CNN anchors Jake Tapper and Kaitlan Collins moderated the event.
What People Are Saying
Hayes, who also voted for the Laken Riley Act, said she regretted her decision during Thursday’s town hall: “So I understand your concerns and I understand how immigrants across this country who are here legally and have followed the law are being terrorized right now because they are unsure of what happens next. I voted for that piece of legislation because of a very specific provision, and it was if it caused injury or death to a police officer, which was one small piece of it…”
She added: “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, but coming into this Congress, I trusted that this administration, we would have some—if they wanted to have border security, if they wanted to work with Democrats that we could actually move forward. I’m not really sure of that because I have seen the rhetoric that has come out and the attacks that have been targeted towards immigrants, so I am very cautious and careful when I’m negotiating my votes moving forward.”
Mackenzie defended the measure, saying Thursday: “Actions that we have seen from illegal immigrants coming into our country, committing these heinous crimes, are a serious challenge that are long overdue to be addressed. And so, I was happy that this was the first piece of legislation that the new Congress addressed, and it was passed in a bipartisan fashion, through the House and Senate, and became law. And there are more things that we need to do in a bipartisan way to actually get these solutions that 80 percent of Americans agree with. So, in instances like this, I think this was the right thing to do, it was a positive step, but there’s a lot more to be done to protect our communities.
What Happens Next
In addition to signing the Laken Riley Act, Trump has cracked down on immigration—a centerpiece of his 2024 campaign—in other ways, including deporting more than 200 Venezuelan nationals to a mega-prison in El Salvador without due process.
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to “facilitate” the return of one of the men sent to El Salvador, who the administration has acknowledged was swept up in the deportations because of an “administrative error.”