Durbin Slams New Trump Administration Rule On Asylum Seekers
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today argued that President Donald Trump’s cruel and ineffective immigration policies have made our southern border much less secure than when he took office. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also called out the Trump Administration for the unprecedented cruelty they have shown to immigrants – especially families and children.
“Now the Trump Administration has put in place a new rule, which will block nearly all asylum claims at the southern border of nationals of any country except Mexico, including families and children fleeing persecution,” Durbin said. “America is better than this. We can keep our nation safe and respect our heritage as a nation of immigrants. We can have a secure border and abide by our international obligations to protect refugees fleeing persecution, as we have done on a bipartisan basis for decades.”
Durbin continued, “Democrats stand ready to work on smart, effective, and humane border security policies, but we need our Republican colleagues to condemn President Trump’s cruel campaign against families and children and to work with us on bipartisan basis.”
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.
In April, Durbin visited the Port of Entry in El Paso, Texas, and a nearby Border Patrol Station. In May, Durbin led 24 Senators in calling on the International Committee of the Red Cross and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Inspector General to investigate these Border Patrol facilities.
In May, the DHS Inspector General’s Office released a report detailing the inhumane and dangerous overcrowding of migrants at the El Paso Port of Entry. Earlier this month, the DHS Inspector General issued another scathing report, this time about multiple Border Patrol facilities in the Rio Grande Valley.
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