Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) announced this week that she regrets supporting the Laken Riley Act, distancing herself from the legislation passed with bipartisan support after the 2024 murder of a Georgia nursing student by an illegal alien. In January, her opponent in Minnesota’s U.S. Senate race, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, publicly criticized her for previously backing the bill.
Craig, who is running for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), published a column in the Minnesota Star Tribune explaining that the experience of the past year and federal immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota led her to reconsider the vote, stating that recent developments had “only strengthened my resolve to stand up to Trump’s cruel immigration policies.”
She described the return of President Donald Trump to office as “a harsh reality” for Americans who hoped the period of his leadership had ended. Craig also argued that Minnesotans are now seeing the effects of the administration’s actions, describing the situation as “an outright occupation by aggressive, unaccountable federal forces with lasting human and economic impacts.”
Craig wrote that she was not surprised by the outcome of the 2024 presidential election, saying “There was no question to many of my constituents that the Biden administration had fumbled the immigration issue.”
While Craig reaffirmed her support for several immigration proposals, including her cosponsorship of the America’s Children Act and the American Dream and Promise Act, which would create a “pathway to citizenship for Dreamers,” as well as the No Ban Act aimed at stopping what she called “Trump’s racist travel bans,” she claimed that backing the Laken Riley Act had been a “difficult decision.”
Craig wrote that she “never thought the Laken Riley Act was a perfect bill,” noting that it allowed for detention of “certain violent as well as nonviolent offenses” — with “as well as” italicized in the original column — and adding that “The text of the bill did not include the word deportation.” She also pointed out that Democrat Sens. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) “all came to the same conclusion.”
Craig reflected that after the deaths of Minnesota protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti, she “couldn’t help but question whether I made the right call last year.” She continued, “It is true that the president is not using any laws to carry out these sweeping immigration raids that have terrorized Minnesotans, but it’s also become clear that supporting any bill that gives ICE new authority in this administration was the wrong decision,” concluding, “And I regret my vote.”
The White House Rapid Response Team rebuked Craig in a post sharing a screenshot of the headline from her column, writing, “What is wrong with you, @RepAngieCraig? This is sick and demented.”
White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller also responded: “The official position of the Democrat Party is that we don’t get to have a country.”
Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), whose Senate campaign has been endorsed by Riley’s family, said, “I don’t regret my vote and I don’t regret writing the Laken Riley Act. I refuse to bend the knee just because people get their feelings hurt. The Laken Riley Act is about saving lives.”
The legislation was named for Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered on February 22, 2024, during a morning jog near the University of Georgia campus in Athens. According to White House officials, the Laken Riley Act was the first bill President Donald Trump signed after returning to office and was intended to prevent similar crimes.
Authorities reported Venezuelan illegal alien Jose Antonio Ibarra crossed the U.S.–Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, in September 2022 and was later released into the United States by the Biden administration with parole. Prosecutors stated Riley died during a violent struggle in which Ibarra smashed her head with a rock and inflicted multiple injuries. He was convicted of murder and is serving life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In February 2026, President Donald Trump declared February 22 “Angel Family Day” to honor families whose loved ones were killed by illegal alien criminals. Riley’s memory has also been commemorated through events such as the “Run for Your Life” 5K in Athens, Georgia, where hundreds signed up to participate and raise funds for the Laken Hope Foundation, which supports women’s safety awareness, nursing students, and children’s healthcare.
Craig’s reversal comes amid a competitive Minnesota Senate race. Sen. Tina Smith has endorsed Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan to succeed her, bypassing Craig despite Craig’s fundraising advantage and endorsements from figures including Sens. Tammy Baldwin and Ruben Gallego, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Flanagan has denounced the Laken Riley Act, saying the law “was the first step in giving Trump the green light to terrorize our communities.”
Flanagan told supporters at an event in January that Craig was among the Democrats who joined Republicans in supporting the bill and had also voted for a House resolution praising ICE, prompting boos from the audience and a crowd response of “Shame.”
