KRISTEN WELKER: President Trump obviously signed the Laken Riley Act into law this week. Just so folks understand, that will allow law enforcement to detain and deport undocumented immigrants who’ve been charged with theft-related crimes. You voted in support of this bill. I had an opportunity to interview your colleague, Senator Adam Schiff, who opposed it. He told me last week that this bill is so broad the U.S., quote, “would be able to deport DREAMers for taking a tube of toothpaste”. Can you guarantee this law won't be applied in a way that's overly broad?
MARK KELLY: Well, this law is about public safety. Representing a border state, this affects Arizona, I think, more than other states, just because of, you know, numbers. And it's, you know, where folks cross. Kristen, if you come across the border and you don't have documentation, you've already committed a crime. This is for somebody who then decides to commit a second crime. And they're taken into custody, there'll be due process involved so they can eventually, if they can prove that these are not valid charges where they go through the court system, they could then be released. I'm not concerned about, you know, what Adam is talking about. I think, you know, very highly of DREAMers. DREAMers are as American as my own two kids. I think we should be working towards a pathway to citizenship for DREAMers. I know some of my Republican colleagues feel the same way. And we're going to solve these border issues by working together, Democrats and Republicans, to come up with policy changes on border security and reform.
