Durbin Speaks Out Against President Trump's Executive Actions Taken On Day One
WASHINGTON – In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke out against executive actions taken by President Donald Trump on day one of his second term, including cracking down on immigrant communities, that, among other things, attempt to deprive U.S.-born children of citizenship, suspend refugee resettlement, and require the military to divert resources to the southern border. Durbin also spoke out against President Trump granting pardons and commutations to those who participated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those who violently assaulted law enforcement officers.
“There are certain things we all agree on, I believe. Number one, our border must be secure. And, number two, we should deport any dangerous individuals who are here illegally, period. But the Executive Orders signed by President Trump last night did not target criminals or even those who entered our country without authorization,” Durbin said. “For example, the President suspended the task force on the reunification of families created in the aftermath of his disastrous family separation policy of his first presidency… the President also suspended the refugee admissions program, which provides a safe haven for those fleeing oppressive regimes around the world… the President also announced his plan to attempt to deny citizenship to children born in the United States if their parents are not citizens or lawful permanent residents.”
Durbin continued, “Immigrants have been a key part of America. I know that and I say that as the son of an immigrant to this country. Our nation has always needed immigrants, still does. They put food on our tables. They care for our kids. And they help care for our parents and grandparents. What would we do without them? They don’t deserve to live in fear every single day that they’re going to be part of a mass deportation. Any real solution to our immigration challenge must give them stability. Americans deserve a real fix to our broken immigration system that protects America, protects American workers, and treats immigrants fairly.”
Durbin then spoke about the pardons and commutations President Trump issued to those who participated in the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, including those who violently assaulted law enforcement officers.
“On January 6, 2021, I was seated in the chair right here on the floor of the Senate. A solemn, Constitutional proceeding was disrupted when a mob of thugs attacked and trashed the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn a free and fair election,” Durbin said. “The mob confronted the Capitol police and D.C. police who were here trying to keep this building and keep us safe, as members of Congress who were doing our Constitutional duty. [The] subsequent deaths of five of our law enforcement officers because of that mob and the injuries to approximately 140 others are a matter of fact—many of whom still pay a price today for what happened on January 6, 2021. And now the attackers have been pardoned by President Trump, who literally sent them from a rally to come up here.”
Durbin went on to spell out some of the individuals who were included in President Trump’s “full, complete and unconditional pardon[s]” related to January 6, 2021, including David Dempsey, who was convicted of assaulting police officers by using “his hands, feet, flag poles, crutches, pepper spray, broken pieces of furniture, and anything else he could get his hands on” as weapons; Shane Jenkins, who was convicted of using two axes to break into the Capitol and assaulting police officers by throwing a desk drawer and a flagpole at them; Kyle Fitzsimons, who was convicted for five separate assaults against law enforcement, including one that caused career-ending and life-altering injuries to U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell; and Kenneth Bonawitz, a member of the so-called Proud Boys, who assaulted at least six officers, placing one officer in a chokehold and lifting him up by the neck. Bonawitz injured one officer so severely the officer had to retire.
“All of these people were among the roughly 1,500 January 6 insurrectionists whom President Trump pardoned last night. What happened to claims by a party of being in favor of ‘law and order’?” Durbin said. “These law enforcement officers risk their lives for us—literally all of us, not just the elected officials, but the thousands of visitors who come to this Capitol. They stand quietly by watching to make sure that nothing goes wrong. But they are literally risking their lives for us every single day. What was the message last night of pardoning the people who assaulted them on January 6, 2021? Some people died as a result of that attack. Every American should be appalled.”
Durbin concluded, “We should stand by those who stand by us, and we should be willing to say to them, ‘thank you.’ Thank you for risking your lives for our visitors, for us members of Congress. Those who assaulted you were not just on a pleasant Capitol tour. They had a goal in mind, and that goal, unfortunately, was at the expense of these men and women in uniform.”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the floor is available here for TV Stations.
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