U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D-CT-5) participated in a CNN town hall on Thursday night.
The 90-minute program featured four members of the House of Representatives from battleground districts, also including Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY-17).
They talked about education, vaccines, and tariffs — with the two Republicans mostly defending President Trump and his policies and the two Democrats opposing them.
One of the more surprising statements came from Hayes, who said she regrets voting with her Republican colleagues in support of the Laken Riley Act. The law mandates the federal detention of undocumented immigrants who are accused of theft, burglary or violent crimes.
“It's a vote that I regret, but coming into this Congress, I trusted that this administration wanted to have border security, they wanted to work with Democrats, that we could actually move forward,” Hayes said. “I'm not really sure of that, because I've seen the rhetoric that has come out and the attacks that have been targeted towards immigrants.”
Lawler also supported the law — and said he still does.
“Since President Trump came into office, border crossings are down from 189,000 in the month of February 2024 to just over 8,000 in February 2025,” Lawler said. “That is a significant decline, because people understand if they cross the border illegally, they're not going to be detained and released. They're going to be detained and deported.”
However, the Republican said he wasn’t always in agreement with President Trump’s cabinet. Specifically, he wasn’t aligned with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his vaccine and HIV sentiments.
“I disagree with some of Secretary Kennedy's comments. I've said that previously with respect to his stance on vaccines, I do believe in the right of people to make medical decisions for themselves … I have also disagreed with the decision to cut funding for HIV programs,” Lawler said. “That's why I've sent a letter to the Secretary and the administration to push back on that decision to cut funding for HIV.”
The program was moderated by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Jake Tapper.
