Rep. April McClain Delaney is disavowing her January vote in support of a law that requires federal law enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants accused — but not convicted — of certain crimes.

Her comments in an interview with The Banner come as she has revved up her 2026 reelection campaign in recent weeks, after former U.S. Rep. David Trone — who held the seat prior to McClain Delaney — announced he’s challenging her in the Democratic primary in June.

Immigration could be among the issues that become a flashpoint in the race, experts say.

McClain Delaney, who represents several Western Maryland counties and upper Montgomery County, was one of 46 House Democrats, some in swing districts like hers, who voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act. The legislation, named after a University of Georgia nursing student murdered by an undocumented immigrant, mandates that law enforcement hold people without legal permission to be in the country, even those who have been accused of lower-level crimes, such as burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting, according to the law.

The bill’s passage marked an early win for Republicans backing President Donald Trump’s aggressive immigration enforcement plans.

Now, McClain Delaney, who says that vote was made early in her freshman term as a congresswoman, did not envision the Trump administration would send armed, masked men to American cities to arrest undocumented people.

“I don’t think I totally focused as much as I should have on the ‘accused of a crime’ [part],” she said “but I will say that this was in the beginning of my term. And I never thought that ICE immigration and the horror of what has happened would happen.”

She said she’d heard from constituents who encouraged her to support the bill.

“None of us thought that Project 2025 would come into fruition,” she said.

Trump ran on the promise of deporting millions of immigrants during his second term and authorized the full force of his administration to carry it out on his first day in office. Plans from Project 2025, conservative policy proposals authored bysome former Trump advisers, has largely mirrored actions taken by his administration, including plans to target immigrant communities for mass deportations and end birthright citizenship.

In news coverage announcing his campaign launch, Trone criticized McClain Delaney for voting with Republicans on certain bills, including the Laken Riley Act. She and Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland’s sole Republican, were the only members of the state’s federal delegation to vote in support.

“We can’t have any Democrats in Congress voting with Trump. We need to be fighting against him,” he said in a video announcing his campaign.

Trone has also criticized the Democratic Party for not fighting back against the Trump administration’s policies.

McClain Delaney’s vote on a hot-button issue, like the Laken Riley Act, has the potential to become a political lightning rod during the primary race, said Roger Hartley, dean of the College of Public Affairs at the University of Baltimore.

“This is an issue that can put her on the defensive with the base,” he said.

McClain Delaney narrowly won a tight House race in 2024 against former Republican Del. Neil Parrott in the state’s most competitive district. She characterized her politics as progressive yet pragmatic.

“I ran on common sense, common ground and getting things done,” she said.

She said her office has received thousands of messages from Marylanders who are raising concerns about the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement actions and has seen a significant uptick in the number of requests for help.

More than 50% of her constituent services casework is related to immigration concerns, she said. Many are from people seeking the appropriate documentation to remain in the country legally.

This month, McClain Delaney said she requested a tour of the Baltimore Field Office for U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. She said the visit has not yet been scheduled but the agency has acknowledged receipt of her request.

The congresswoman’s request comes months after six other members of Maryland’s federal delegation visited the Baltimore facility.

Some of their staffers toured the facility in March and found what they said were immigrants detained in inadequate, overcrowded accommodations, with limited access to food, medicine and bedding.

Officials denied the members of Congress a tour the first time they visited. Weeks later, they tried again and were granted entry.

Members of Congress have the right to inspect detention facilities, according to federal law.