Durbin: President Trump's Anti-Immigrant Policies Have Made Our Border Less Secure
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, today slammed the Trump Administration for their failure to address the humanitarian crisis at the southern border. During today’s hearing, Durbin called out the Administration’s failed border security efforts – including the family separation policy, government shutdown, cutting off foreign assistance to the Northern Triangle countries, shutting down the Central American Minors program, and setting the lowest refugee admissions target in history – for creating today’s humanitarian crisis at the border.
“The reality is that the Trump Administration’s policies have made our border less secure and many times undermined our American values,” Durbin said. “We can do more to make sure, even in the midst of a political controversy, that our treatment of these desperate people reflects who we are as Americans. We stand ready, as Democrats, to work with Republicans and the President on smart, effective, and humane border security policies. I hope that we can do this together.”
Durbin also announced that Senate Democrats will soon reintroduce the Central America Reform and Enforcement Act, a comprehensive proposal to address the root causes of the Central American migrant crisis.
“In the last Congress, Democrats introduced the Central America Reform and Enforcement Act as a comprehensive response. I’m announcing that next week we will reintroduce it. It will address the root causes in the Northern Triangle, crack down on cartels and traffickers, provide for in-country processing of refugees so they don’t have to make the trek across Mexico, expand third-country resettlement in Mexico and other Central-American countries, and eliminate immigration court backlogs,” Durbin said.
Video of Durbin’s remarks in Committee are available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks in Committee is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks in Committee is available here for TV Stations.