Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Immigration
Senators Ask DHS Nominee To Clarify Stance On DACA, The Dream Act, & TPS
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Senate's Immigration Subcommittee, and 19 senators today sent a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security nominee Kirstjen Nielsen, calling on her to answer several immigration related questions prior to consideration of her nomination by the full Senate. During her confirmation hearing, when asked whether she agrees that legislation must be passed to protect Dreamers by the end of this calendar year, Nielsen state… Continue Reading
11.09.17
Lawmakers Call For Reversal Of Administration Decision To Expose Thousands To Dangerous Deportations
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Immigration Subcommittee, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D-NM) today led a letter from 58 members of the Senate and House, calling on the Trump Administration to reverse its recent decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Nicaragua and Sudan, which will remove their legal protection, tear families apart, and expose them to potential deportatio… Continue Reading
10.25.17
Durbin: Congress Has A Responsibility To Do Its Job And Make Dream Act The Law Of The Land
WASHINGTON-Following the Trump Administration's announcement on September 5, 2017 that it will rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) came to the Senate floor today to call on Republican leaders in Congress to bring the bipartisan Dream Act to the floor for a vote. During his speech, Durbin shared the story of one Dreamer - William Medeiros, who was only six years old when his family moved to the United States from Braz… Continue Reading
10.18.17
Sessions Refuses To Deny He Colluded With Texas AG To Shut Down DACA
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today pressed U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions to detail any communications with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton or any other Attorneys General-who had threatened to file a partisan lawsuit challenging the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, prior to Sessions' announcement that the Trump Administration was ending the program. "That kind of legal discussions, I believe, would be part of the work product of the Att… Continue Reading
10.08.17
Durbin Statement On Administration Immigration Wishlist
CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, released the following statement: The Administration passed the buck to Congress when it announced the end of DACA. There will be time to debate these deeply flawed immigration principles after Congress addresses the DACA crisis that the Administration itself created. Many of these proposals already face bipartisan opposition in the House and Senate and it would be wrong t… Continue Reading
10.03.17
Durbin Pushes For Quick Action On Bipartisan Dream Act During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing On DACA
WASHINGTON - During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, warned his Senate colleagues that the deportation clock is ticking for approximately 800,000 DACA recipients. He also urged them to support the bipartisan Dream Act that he and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) have introduced, which would allow immigrant students who grew up in t… Continue Reading
10.02.17
Durbin Calls On Trump Administration To Extend DACA Deadline
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to extend the October 5th Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) renewal deadline and encouraged eligible DACA recipients to file their renewal applications as soon as possible to make the deadline. Under the arbitrary deadline set by the Trump Administration, current DACA recipients whose status expires between Sept. 5, 2017, and March 5, 2018 must apply to renew their DACA status by Thurs… Continue Reading
09.27.17
Durbin Statement On Trump Administration Decision To Slash Refugee Resettlement Quota
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, today released the following statement after meeting with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Secretary Elaine Duke, who confirmed that the Trump Administration has decided to allow the resettlement of no more than 45,000 refugees in the United States next year. This will bring the number of refugees allowed into the United States to the lowest level… Continue Reading
09.25.17
Durbin Statement On The Succeed Act
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, released the following statement on new immigration legislation announced today by U.S. Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and James Lankford (R-OK): I appreciate that my colleagues recognize the need to pass legislation giving a path to citizenship to Dreamers, young immigrants who were brought here as children and grew up in this country-so do 75% of the American people. Unfortunately th… Continue Reading
09.18.17
Durbin Highlights Contributions Of Military And JROTC Dreamers
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Republican leaders of the Senate and House to bring the bipartisan Dream Act to the floor, highlighting the contributions of Dreamers who are serving in the military and involved in Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC) programs. Following the Trump Administration's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, many JROTC cadets and servicemembers who are DACA recipients are at risk of deportation if… Continue Reading
09.12.17
Durbin-Harris Amendment Would Keep Non-Citizen Military Personnel From Discharge Due To Immigration Status
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), vice chairman of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) today filed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to retain military personnel in the Military Accessions Vital to National Interest (MAVNI) program until their background screenings are completed. Because of a backlog in the screening process, it is estimated that between 1,000 and 1,800 MAVNI recruits have lost their … Continue Reading
09.12.17
Durbin: Let's Show The American Dream Is Still Alive By Passing The Dream Act
WASHINGTON-Following the Trump Administration's announcement last week that it will rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) came to the Senate floor today to call on Republican leaders in Congress to bring the bipartisan Dream Act to the floor for a vote. During his speech, Durbin shared the story of one Dreamer - Cristina Velasquez, a student at Georgetown University. During her time at Georgetown, Cristina has interne… Continue Reading
09.08.17
Durbin, Joined by DACA Medical Students, Calls on Congress to Bring Dream Act to Vote
MAYWOOD - Following the Trump Administration's cruel and misguided decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin today called on the Republican leaders of the Senate and the House to bring the bipartisan Dream Act to the floor. The Dream Act, which was introduced by Durbin and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), would allow DACA recipients to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. Durbin was joined by DACA recipients … Continue Reading
09.05.17
Durbin Statement On DACA And The Dream Act
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, released the following statement: In my first conversation with President Trump on Inauguration Day, I thanked him for the positive things he had said about the Dreamers. He looked me in the eye and said: "Don't worry. We are going to take care of those kids." Despite many of the terrible immigration policies this Administration has put forward, I have always held out the hop… Continue Reading
08.24.17
Lawmakers Call Out Sessions For Holding City Violence Prevention Funds Hostage To His Extreme Immigration Agenda
WASHINGTON-Fifty-three members of the United States House and Senate are calling out Attorney General Jeff Sessions for holding critical violence prevention funds used by American cities hostage to the Trump Administration's extreme immigration agenda. The Department of Justice has placed new and onerous conditions on local law enforcement's access to federal funding through the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (Byrne-JAG) program, forcing cities to choose between redirecting alr… Continue Reading
08.23.17
Durbin Statement On Reports Of DACA Recipient Detained In Suburban Chicago
CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), ranking member of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, released the following statement on reports that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has detained Riccy Enriquez Perdomo, a DACA-protected individual, in suburban Chicago: "I'm disturbed by reports that a Dreamer with DACA protection has been detained. My office is in touch with ICE for an explanation. When he was Secretary of DHS, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly assur… Continue Reading
08.21.17
Senators Press Justice, Homeland Security Departments On Investigation Of Trump Aide Sebastian Gorka
Durbin, Blumenthal, Cardin Called For Probe 5 Months Ago, After Reports Surfaced Of Gorka's Ties To Neo-Nazi Group Failure to disclose membership in Hungarian fascist organization could invalidate Gorka's U.S. immigration status WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) today pressed the Departments of Homeland Security and Justice to confirm whether senior White House counterterrorism advisor Sebastian Gorka is under investigation for f… Continue Reading
08.18.17
Durbin Calls On Trump To Defend DACA Program
CHICAGO - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on the Trump Administration to defend the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows talented young immigrants who arrived in the United States as children to go to school and work without threat of deportation. The future of the program is uncertain after Texas and nine other states threatened to sue if President Trump does not start phasing out the program by September 5. Durbin was joined by John Rowe, Co-Chair of… Continue Reading
08.02.17
Durbin Thanks Trump For Keeping DACA In Place
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) came to the Senate floor today to praise President Trump for keeping the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program in place. Originally requested by Durbin and former Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN), and granted under President Obama, DACA grants temporary reprieve from deportation to certain undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children. "[DACA] has enabled approximately 790,000 talented young people to contribu… Continue Reading
07.27.17
Durbin, Schumer, Democratic Senators Call On President Trump To Protect Dreamers
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and 40 of their Democratic Senate colleagues today asked President Donald Trump to use his executive authority to the greatest extent possible to protect the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which provides temporary relief from deportation to immigrant students who arrived in the United States as children if they register with the government, pay a fee, and pass crimina… Continue Reading