Mark Warner "Regrets" Vote on Laken Riley Act as "Virginia Deportation Democrats" Take Heat

Warner, Subramanyam, and Vindman face criticism for breaking with fellow Democrats and supporting GOP bills/resolutions on immigration and ICE.

U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) almost got away with it.

He almost dodged the question.

But the tenacious volunteer from Indivisible Charlottesville didn’t relent, repeating:

“So do you regret voting for [the Laken Riley Act]”?

Warner responded: “Yes ma’am. That is my view.”

Indivisible Charlottesville made clear their reasoning for this question in their June 14, 2025 Facebook post memorializing Warner’s unprecedented admission of regret:

The Act dramatically weakened due process in this country. It requires mandatory detention of immigrants, including legal immigrants and children, when they’ve simply been accused — not convicted — of a crime.

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Watch the video of the exchange with Sen. Warner:

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The Laken Riley Act

The Laken Riley Act is one of a handful of bills and resolutions introduced since President Trump returned to power that arguably curtail the rights of immigrants and/or further empower U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

While most of the Democratic members of Virginia’s congressional delegation have voted in opposition, Sen. Warner, Rep. Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), and Rep. Eugene Vindman (VA-07) have sided with the GOP.

Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-04) joined Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), then Rep. Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08), and U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) in voting against the Laken Riley Act. From McClellan’s statement on that vote:

“Under current law, any undocumented immigrant arrested or convicted of a felony can be detained without bail and deported. This bill goes even farther to mandate detention and deportation of any undocumented immigrant merely charged with or arrested for certain crimes, even if charges are dropped or they are found not guilty. This bill clearly oversteps and undermines due process, paving the way for immigrants to be deported without regard to innocence or guilt.

“I remain ready and willing to develop a comprehensive, bipartisan immigration and border security bill, but I will not support unconstitutional overreaching that undermines long-held American values of due process that assumes people innocent until they are proven guilty in a court of law.”

Warner, Subramanyam, and Vindman voted for the bill which President Trump then proudly signed into law.

House Resolution 488

This resolution was problematic because it “expresses gratitude to law enforcement officers, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland.”

As Hans Nichols reported in Axios at the time, “75 House Democrats broke with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries today and voted for a Republican resolution that condemned the Boulder attack and celebrated ICE.”

Again, Subramanyam and Vindman were the only Virginia Democrats to vote in support.

House Bill 884

Here’s the official summary of the bill:

This bill prohibits a non-U.S. citizen from voting in a District of Columbia (DC) election and repeals relevant provisions of DC law.

Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in a federal election; however, in 2022, DC enacted a law allowing noncitizens who meet residency and other requirements to vote in local elections. This bill repeals the DC law, which went into effect on February 23, 2023.

The bill is currently in the Senate. Here’s D.C.’s Shadow Senator Ankit Jain (D) in the Washington Post last month:

Jain said he was particularly worried about the impacts of the repeal of the noncitizens voting law. It could unseat three local neighborhood commissioners who are noncitizens and would cease to be registered voters, he said, and it would also have an unclear impact on D.C.’s July 15 special council election in Ward 8, in which ballots are already being mailed to voters.

“You talk about election interference — this is directly interfering in our election,” Jain said.

While Warner and Kaine haven’t had an opportunity to vote on the bill yet, on the House side, Subramanyam and Vindman broke with their Democratic colleagues again and voted in support. You can listen to Subramanyam (at [28:30]) attempt to explain this vote on last week’s The Politics Hour with Kojo Nnamdi.

“Virginia’s Deportation Democrats”

As a result of siding with the GOP and President Trump on this handful of votes, Warner, Subramanyam, and Vindman have started to take heat here at home. There’s the persistent questioning and opposition from Indivisible and other groups.

There’s also pushback on social media; for example, Kevin Saucedo-Broach (former Chief of Staff for Del. Alfonso Lopez (D-Arlington)) has dubbed this trio “Virginia’s Deportation Democrats.”

Here are two graphics he’s shared on X:

Subramanyam and Vindman, both freshman congressmen relatively new to Virginia politics, can reasonably expect primary opposition next year in part based on these votes.

Opposition to Warner amongst Democrats has been building for years. As the only Democrat in the Senate who hasn’t cosponsored this year’s iteration of the PRO Act, the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 2025 introduced by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Warner may recognize his exposure to a labor-backed (and labor-financed) primary opponent next year.

And based on his tepid offer of regret for the Laken Riley Act vote, Warner may instinctively know he doesn’t want to be one of “Virginia’s Deportation Democrats” in 2026.