07.15.20

Durbin Calls On President Trump To Comply With Supreme Court Decision To Reopen DACA Program For New Applicants

SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Trump Administration to immediately comply with the Supreme Court decision to protect Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients and reopen DACA to eligible individuals who have been unable to apply due to President Trump’s decision to terminate DACA. The Supreme Court announced its decision on June 18, with Chief Justice John Roberts calling the Administration’s effort to repeal deportation protections for Dreamers—young immigrants who came to the United States as children—“arbitrary and capricious.” Monday, 25 days after the Court’s decision, was the deadline for the Administration to file a petition for rehearing.

“President Trump is now in open defiance of the Chief Justice Roberts’ decision rejecting the repeal of DACA and requiring the Trump Administration to reopen DACA for new applicants.  The stakes are too high—both for the rule of law and the lives of young Dreamers—to dismiss this as yet another Trump Administration outrage.  Republicans and Democrats in Congress must come together to compel the President to immediately comply with the Supreme Court's mandate,” said Durbin.

Yesterday, Durbin and U.S. Senator Kamala D. Harris (D-CA), led a letter from 33 Senators to Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf calling on the Trump Administration to immediately comply with the Supreme Court’s decision rejecting the Administration’s rescission of DACA and requiring the Administration to reopen DACA for new applicants.

More than 800,000 Dreamers have come forward and received DACA. Dreamers have contributed to our country as soldiers, nurses, teachers, and small business owners. Even as their own fates remained uncertain due to the Trump Administration’s rescission of DACA, more than 200,000 DACA recipients have served as essential workers during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic by teaching children; growing, packaging, cooking, and shipping food; stocking the shelves at grocery stores; and providing healthcare services to those who fall sick. 

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