05.23.18

Durbin Again Asks Consent To Pass The Dream Act

Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) asked unanimous consent that the Senate pass the bipartisan Dream Act. Republican leaders and President Trump have rejected multiple bipartisan offers to address the DACA crisis created by the President on September 5th, 2017. Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) objected.

“On September 5, 2017, President Trump announced his repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. As a result of that, hundreds of thousands of immigrants who came to the United States as children—known as Dreamers—face losing their work permits and being deported to countries they barely remember,” said Durbin. “President Trump called on Congress to ‘legalize DACA.’ But since then, he has rejected six bipartisan deals to achieve that. He’s even rejected a bipartisan offer, a $25 billion offer to him, to build his border wall. Mexico, of course, was supposed to pay for that wall. We provided the money in a bill that also provided protection for the Dreamers. The President rejected it. Instead, he’s tried to put the entire hardline immigration agenda on the backs of the Dreamers. Earlier this year, the Senate decided to vote on President Trump’s plan. It failed, and it failed badly. 39 senators voted for it—60 voted against it.  President Trump is holding Dreamers hostage for an immigration plan that is so extreme that even his own party members, many of them, do not support it.” 

Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor are available here.

Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.

“President Trump created this DACA crisis,” Durbin continued. “But instead of working towards a solution, he has sabotaged every effort we have made to support and save the Dreamers. Now it’s up to Republican majority in Congress to accept one of the six bipartisan solutions on the table to save these young people.”

In July of last year, Durbin introduced the bipartisan Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status.