Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, victim and advocacy organizations, urge U.S. Senate to vote against the Laken Riley Act
1/14/2025
If the goal of this bill is to protect public safety, its supporters should know that it will do the opposite.
Fewer victims will come forward, cases will be harder to solve, securing witnesses for trial will be made more difficult.
The only beneficiaries of this bill are individuals who have harmed community members and will escape accountability.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, joined by representatives from victim and advocacy organizations, urged the defeat of the Laken Riley Act at a press conference Tuesday.
See the full press conference with all speakers here
“Laken Riley should still be alive. Her death was a tragedy, and the man responsible was sentenced to life without parole,” Moriarty said. “Politicians are weaponizing her death for a political outcome at the cost of public safety. Solutions to these issues exist. This bill isn’t one.”
Under this bill, individuals merely facing allegations of shoplifting or similar offenses would be targeted and detained for deportation, creating an environment ripe for abuse and false accusations.
Vulnerable community members who fear being targeted will not report crimes against them, making them easier targets.
Victims and witnesses will decline to participate in investigations, making crimes harder to solve for law enforcement and decreasing the likelihood of prosecutors delivering accountability to those who commit them.
Mechanisms to deport individuals who are convicted of serious offenses already exist. Requiring deportation of a noncitizen for simply being arrested on suspicion of a low-level offense is disastrous policy under the guise of public safety.
Additionally, this bill’s scope is not limited to undocumented individuals. It targets all noncitizens, from dreamers who arrived in the country as children to legal permanent residents who have been part of our community for decades.
The Laken Riley Act is touted as a public safety solution while needlessly complicating the work of law enforcement and prosecutors in delivering accountability. This bill must be voted down.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office commitment to protecting vulnerable communities is absolute. Those making false claims against or causing harm to undocumented individuals and noncitizens will be prosecuted.
Other speakers:
- Elliott Payne, President, Minneapolis City Council
- Guadalupe Lopez, Executive Director, Violence Free Minnesota
- Emily Hutchinson, Vice President of Global Programs, Center for Victims of Torture
- Sarahi Mateo, Assistant Director of Family Advocacy, Esperanza United
- Mubina Qureshi, Co-Executive Director, Asian Indian Family Wellness
- Amirthini Keefe, Executive Director, Domestic Abuse Project
- Xay Yang, Executive Director, Transforming Generations
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