WASHINGTON D.C. –  Today, Senator Andy Kim released the following statement after voting no on the final passage of S.5, the Laken Riley Act. 

“Our Constitution is the principle foundation of our nation, and the oath that President Trump and all members of Congress take is to protect and defend the Constitution,” said Senator Kim. “No doubt our immigration system is broken and the American people deserve bipartisan action, but this bill’s requirement for mandatory detention without bond for people including children accused but not convicted of non-violent misdemeanors like shoplifting goes against our Constitution. We owe every American action, and there is a lot that we can do that would be in line with our Constitution that we should focus on.”

Senator Kim is a member of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP); the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and the Special Committee on Aging. Before being elected to the U.S. Senate, Kim represented New Jersey’s Third Congressional District in the U.S. House and was a career public servant working in national security and diplomacy at the White House, State Department, and Pentagon. Learn more about Senator Kim’s service on behalf of New Jersey here. 

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