New Mexico Democrat Rep. Gabe Vasquez is facing sharp criticism after touting his vote against the Laken Riley Act and attacking President Donald Trump’s immigration policies during an April 16 town hall event.
At the meeting, Vasquez proudly announced his opposition to the legislation, which was signed into law by Trump on January 29. “I did. I voted against [the bill],” Vasquez declared to cheers from the audience. He added, “Because due process is a fundamental part of who we are as Americans,” attempting to frame his opposition as a defense of constitutional rights — despite the clear public safety concerns the bill sought to address.
The Laken Riley Act was crafted following the brutal murder of 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed while jogging in Athens, Georgia, by an illegal immigrant. The law requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain illegal aliens arrested or charged with violent crimes, closing dangerous loopholes in immigration enforcement.
Vasquez’s comments did not stop there. He went on to criticize Trump’s deportation policies, specifically lamenting the removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a suspected MS-13 gang member and illegal immigrant. Vasquez claimed the deportations are “testing and stretching the fabric of our democracy to a place we have never seen before,” suggesting that American citizens could someday face similar removal if Trump’s policies are allowed to continue.
Meanwhile, data released by DHS in March shows Trump’s administration has ramped up immigration enforcement, leading to a 627% increase in monthly arrests compared to the Biden administration’s lax record the year prior. Vasquez’s comments have been picked up in the national press, including by Fox News.
Republicans swiftly pushed back on Vasquez’s stance. Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district includes the largest stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border, defended the Laken Riley Act, telling Fox News Digital, “Border security is a real and lasting issue as a result of four years of inaction under President Biden. That’s why Americans voted for safer communities and to restore law and order, and President Trump is delivering on that promise with legislation like the Laken Riley Act.”
National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Zach Bannon also weighed in, slamming Vasquez’s repeated prioritization of illegal immigrants over American citizens. “Time and time again, out-of-touch Democrat Gabe Vasquez chooses to prioritize criminal illegal aliens over the well-being of hardworking New Mexicans,” Bannon said. “He’s completely abandoned common sense, pandering to the radical left while betraying the very people who will vote him out of office next year.”
Abrego Garcia, whom Vasquez defended, had been living in Maryland before his deportation to El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) — a facility built to house violent gang members. He was previously pulled over in an SUV tied to another illegal immigrant arrested for human smuggling.
Under Trump’s leadership, immigration enforcement is once again being taken seriously — a sharp contrast to Vasquez’s radical pro-illegal immigration stance.
With public outrage growing over crimes committed by illegal immigrants, Vasquez’s celebration of his vote against the Laken Riley Act may well become a major liability heading into the 2026 election cycle.
He is beatable. The GOP needs to groom the right candidate.
Would he be so proud if was his daughter they were talking about?
These Democrats are so LOST in what they support, I think he would KILL is own mother to defend these scumbags!
Can’t New Mexico do better than Gabe who is more interested in illegals over the people/citizens he is supposed to represent????? Obviously NM can’t elect a better representative/leader. NM has been voting the same people into office for decades and we haven’t been able to move out of the third world mentality and develop into a productive and respectable state. So sorry I moved here, with my situation being what it is, I can’t move, I’m stuck.
So true! I moved here 10yrs ago and my life has been almost destroyed by Workers Compensation regulations! At 74 and having no medical intervention for 3yrs I’ll never get out of here. What I thought would be my paradise has become my hell. This state needs to be cleaned up and break the hold of people like MLG and Gabe Vasquez for certain. Surely Albuquerque and Santa Fe can see that!
I hear you! I too moved here 6 years ago to be near my aged mother (96 in a few weeks), she is in great health. She lives with my older sister who has Parkinson’s. Sister has me drive her to Tucson to see a doctor who specializes in PD. New Mexico is horrible for medical!!!! How do we break the back of the Dem hold on NM???
I can;t agree with you more. I too moved here to be close to my children (who moved here before me). And I did not know then what I know now. But by the grace of God will all will be ok, just need to get people (like those who were clapping for him). They are blinded for sure. Democraps are fearmongerings and lie, lie lie….
I pray that someone conservative will beat out all these Democraps and turn our state around.
Why is it that Vasquez is so defensive of those here illegally and not a word about the victims of the very same people he is defending? Is it because he is bought and paid for by the very criminal organizations he is defending? How can he say he is representing the people of New Mexico when it’s perfectly clear he representin the criminal organizations and their members
I pray every night and day for God come down and burn down Santa Fe with all Democrats stuck in their homes
I am not a demon rat and live in Santa Fe as well as others. Praying for violence is not the answer!
You’re going more than a little overboard, James. How about praying for God to change the hearts and minds of those voting for people like Gabe Vasquez?
Please send him back to El Paso.
Hey, Duke, I feel your pain. Just remember that we have our own version of Vasquez as our “representative” in D.C. Politics in this city are just as bad as they are in NM. For the time being, it is somewhat ameliorated by the fact that we are in Texas, but just sit back and watch as Texas becomes the next NM over the next twenty years.
God forbid
We need basic civics test for those who want to be representatives. He does not understand that the Constitution is for citizens. Not illegals who came into this Country illegally. However he and other DS are looking for ‘seats’ which was why they were allowed in the last census. Hardened criminals from prisons in other countries were flown in here as well as those from mental institutions.
We have 21,000,000 people to now get out of our Country! The people in the audience are brain washed. How can they not care about people being raped and murdered ? The media is lying about the cuts Trump made and are being told he is cutting Medicare and Medicaid which is not true. No clue what this character is telling them….
He doesn’t understand the constitution because I doubt he has ever read it. He talks about due process. Was Laken Riley given due process when she was murdered? Did Garcia requestdue process to enter our country? Gabe ignores that process. Well this article has given me fuel to email Gabe and lay it into him.
What does the term “conservative” mean, anyway? Apparently definitions of the term vary widely and I am unaware of any “officially accepted” definition, so I am going to offer my own.
My own definition of “conservatism” in the case of the USA is that body of thought that, in every instance, puts the Constitution of the country first.
We might love something a particular politician does, but if what they do is not clearly obedient to the Constitution and I applaud that act, then I am not worthy of the appellation “conservative”.
Every time we support the government in an action that is not clearly consistent with the Constitution, we are unwittingly participating in the forging of our own chains. Eventually that extra-constitutional power that we have granted to the federal government will be turned against us.
Excellent and well said. The people need a peoples constitutional party that abides by strict Bill of rights , constitutional law! Since rinos and democommies often work together to subvert the constitution this party would be a breath of fresh air. Also since both parties are compromised by AIPAC and other “lobby” groups, the corruption is incredible! And if you don’t believe they work together just mention term limits and watch both corrupt parties circle the wagons!
Thank you, Norteno. I have noticed that you and I are usually on the same page with this stuff.
To cut to the chase, my own personal opinion is that we are looking at something beyond repair. We have seen modern attempts at forming third parties and none of them have been successful, if you measure “success” as forcing the fedgov to operate under the law, which is the Constitution. I think we are way too far gone in order to see that ever happen. There is a Constitution Party and I have often voted for their candidates but we all know they have no chance. We have “term limits” already, and that is known as “the vote”. But we see how far that gets us as well. The original contract between the states and the central government which the states created is, in effect, a dead letter.
In my view the solution is subsidiarity, which was the original American organizational concept. Subsidiarity was engineered into the Constitution, but, again, that contract was abrogated within two years after its original ratification and the process has continued apace. Centralization of political power has never proven to work in the favor of the governed.
You are correct again. The establishment has always been against other political parties because it’s easier to control and bribe two parties with similar views. There’s also a name for centralized government, it’s called communism! Thank you for your great comments and insight.
He’s such a POS. Vote him out.
NM has so m e of the most evil selfish reps they are making all of us look truly stupid. We need to vote these people out. We need people that have God and the people they represent in there hearts. GABE IS NOT ONE IF US
Gabe needs to be Cano’d & pronto
What a sick f*k. And all those who clapped for him as well. They must not know the details of those particular criminals and their crimes. Trump Derangement Syndrome is still being spread.
Gabe.. you are the most digusting humanoid to walk the earth. How do you sleep at night. To vote against the Riley act is just a testament of your character. It could have been your Mother. God help you.
And I brag about not voting for Vasquez.