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Fetterman Abandons Promise to Protect Dreamers
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Fetterman Abandons Promise to Protect Dreamers

Plus, Ruben Gallego lies to Fox News about the Laken Riley Act.

Pablo Manríquez's avatar
Pablo Manríquez
Jan 08, 2025
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Fetterman Abandons Promise to Protect Dreamers
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WASHINGTON — On December 19, Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) told us he would never vote against Dreamers. “That hasn’t changed,” Fetterman said, adding, “I don’t know why we’re revisiting that at this point.”

On Tuesday, however, Fetterman appeared to break that promise by cosponsoring the Laken Riley Act, a distinctly anti-immigrant bill. The legislation mandates the detention of migrants, including Dreamers, without bond for minor offenses and empowers state attorneys general to sue the federal government for damages exceeding $100 allegedly caused by undocumented individuals.

The Laken Riley Act was first introduced in the Senate by Katie Britt (R-AL), a close friend of Fetterman whose wife, Gisele, is a former undocumented immigrant from Brazil. Every GOP senator is supportive of the bill.


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Fetterman’s support for the Laken Riley Act was an early indicator of the bill’s traction among Senate Democrats. By Tuesday evening, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer signaled his openness to working with Republicans on the legislation, though details about the amendments process remained unclear at the time of writing.

On Wednesday morning, Democratic opposition to the bill began to unravel when Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he would join Fetterman as a Democratic cosponsor.

In a statement to Chad Pergram of Fox News, Gallego claimed the bill included carveouts protecting DACA recipients and minors. However, the bill’s text contains no such provisions, raising questions about whether Gallego had actually read the legislation.

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