U.S. Rep. Angie Craig said in a Minnesota Star Tribune commentary that she regrets voting for the Laken Riley Act, an immigration detention measure that President Donald Trump signed into law early in his second term. Her stance drew criticism from Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, one of Craig’s chief rivals for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor nomination for U.S. Senate, underscoring the ideological and tactical divisions emerging in the contest to succeed Sen. Tina Smith.
Sen. Tina Smith has said she will not seek reelection in 2026, setting up a competitive race for Minnesota’s open U.S. Senate seat.
Two prominent Democrats expected to compete for the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) nomination are Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig.
In a commentary published March 3, 2026, by The Minnesota Star Tribune, Craig said she regrets voting for the Laken Riley Act, writing that “supporting any bill that gives ICE new authority in this administration was the wrong decision.” Craig described the vote as one she made despite concerns the measure was not “a perfect bill,” and said recent events in Minnesota — including protests outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building — reinforced her view that she should not have supported it.
The Laken Riley Act, named for a Georgia nursing student killed in 2024, was signed into law by Trump on Jan. 29, 2025. Reporting at the time described it as the first piece of legislation enacted during Trump’s second term. The law expands federal authority to detain certain noncitizens accused of specific crimes.
Flanagan criticized Craig’s reversal in a post on X, sharing an earlier clip of Craig voicing support for the measure and adding, “Nothing can undo the damage that has been done.”
Republican candidate Michele Tafoya also attacked Craig’s change of position in comments to The Daily Wire, calling it “a craven act” and arguing that “moderate Democrats have gone extinct in Minnesota.”
The dispute comes as Minnesota has seen heightened tensions over federal immigration enforcement, with protests and legal fights linked to what federal authorities have described as an enforcement surge in the Minneapolis area and the operation known locally as “Operation Metro Surge.”
