Kaine Statement Ahead of Senate Vote on Laken Riley Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) released the following statement ahead of the Senate's vote on the Laken Riley Act:

"The murder of Laken Riley is a tragedy. I voted yes to debate the Laken Riley Act because Americans deserve commonsense steps to prevent something like this from happening again. As it was originally written, the Laken Riley Act would burden law enforcement officers and make it more difficult for them to keep the individuals who pose the greatest threat to our communities off the streets. I introduced an amendment to address these concerns and improve the bill, but it was not given a vote on the Senate floor. I do not believe that the final bill we are voting on will ultimately make our communities safer because it will divert resources away from those who pose serious and immediate threats. I will vote no on final passage."

The Laken Riley Act would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to use its limited time and detention facilities to indefinitely detain undocumented people who have been arrested for very minor crimes, regardless of whether they actually pose a danger to the community. As a result, law enforcement officers may be unable to detain truly dangerous individuals who pose an immediate risk to the public. Kaine filed an amendment to fix that problem.

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