Two Democratic lawmakers, Reps. Mikie Sherrill and Josh Gottheimer, failed to cast votes on the Laken Riley Act, a bill that would require illegal immigrants convicted of theft-related crimes to be detained by municipal and state authorities. The bill is named after a young woman who was murdered by an illegal immigrant in Georgia.
The lawmakers’ failure to vote has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle. Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, a Democrat, called their actions “cowardly” and said that hiding behind a lack of conviction is not a winning strategy in elections. Former Republican Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, who is running for governor, slammed the lawmakers, saying they lacked the courage to stand up to their “extreme far-left base.”
Other Democratic gubernatorial candidates, including State Sen. Jon Bramnick, also criticized the lawmakers’ actions. Bramnick said that a lawmaker’s first responsibility is to their constituents, not their next campaign, and that the pair’s failure to vote is a sign of their lack of leadership.
The Laken Riley Act passed with 48 Democratic “yea’s,” but Reps. Sherrill and Gottheimer did not vote. The bill is a controversial issue, and some Democrats opposed it, while others supported it.
The failure of Reps. Sherrill and Gottheimer to vote on the bill has drawn attention to the issue of immigration and the candidates’ stances on it. The Laken Riley Act is a response to the murder of Laken Riley, a young woman who was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been previously arrested and released on lesser charges.