Rep. Lynch defends backing Laken Riley Act, saying U.S. immigration system is 'out of control'

U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch on Thursday defended his support for the Laken Riley Act, a bill that would allow federal immigration officials to potentially deport people in the country illegally if they're accused of certain crimes.

Lynch was the sole congressional member from Massachusetts to vote in favor of the bill, which passed both branches of Congress with bipartisan support and is poised to be the first immigration legislation Trump will sign into law.

The bill would reshape criminal justice proceedings and let law enforcement officials detain and deport immigrants who face charges ranging from assaulting an officer or acts resulting in death or bodily injury, to lower-level offenses like theft and shoplifting.

It received some criticism from Democratic lawmakers, including Massachusetts Congressman Jim McGovern. However, dozens of Democrats ultimately backed the bill.

In a social media post on X earlier this month, McGovern wrote, "This is a trojan horse that exploits Laken Riley's tragic murder in order to dramatically expand the government's power to shut down LEGAL immigration & detain people who are not convicted of any crime at all."

In a WBUR interview, Lynch called the bill "imperfect," but said it's meaningful effort to discuss America's immigration system and how it is, he said, "completely out of control."

Over multiple trips he's taken to the nation's southern border, Lynch said he found a “narrative” existed, sometimes promoted by “cartels” or others, that anyone will receive benefits and services here, regardless of how they enter the country.

" At some point we have to try to change the narrative so that people understand that there's a legitimate immigration process that requires us to know who's coming into the country," said Lynch. "Immigration could be the greatest strength for this country if we could get it right."

The Laken Riley Act is named after a 22-year-old nursing student who early last year was murdered in Athens, Georgia, by a 26-year-old Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally.

Lynch said he wants political leaders to work toward new and "viable" immigration policies, and that the current system has increased public fear.

"That's the tragedy here," he said, "that so many people are being turned against the general idea of immigration because of the some of these outrageous incidents like the Laken Riley murder."