Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Immigration
Durbin, Duckworth Join Democrats In Demanding Trump Administration Reverse Its Barrage Of Policies Targeting Asylum Seekers
WASHINGTON - In recognition of World Refugee Day last Saturday, U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA) in a letter from a group of 77 Democratic Members of Congress condemning the Trump Administration for its harmful policies that have dismantled the United States' asylum system and demanded the reversal of these harmful measures. The lawmakers listed nearly a dozen various Trump Ad… Continue Reading
06.22.20
Durbin Leads Entire Senate Democratic Caucus In Calling On Leader McConnell To Bring Bipartisan House-Passed Dream & Promise Act To Floor For A Vote
WASHINGTON-Following last week's historic Supreme Court ruling rejecting President Donald Trump's repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee and author of the Dream Act, led the entire Senate Democratic Caucus in a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) calling on him to immediately take up the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promis… Continue Reading
06.19.20
Durbin Leads 43 Senate Democrats In Calling On President Trump To Protect Dreamers Following Landmark Supreme Court DACA Decision
WASHINGTON-Following yesterday's historic Supreme Court ruling rejecting President Donald Trump's repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, led 43 of his Senate Democratic colleagues in a letter to President Trump urging him to finally end his cruel attempts to deport DACA recipients, who are commonly known as Dreamers. "As the Supreme Court has recognized… Continue Reading
06.18.20
Durbin Speaks On Senate Floor Following Landmark Supreme Court DACA Ruling
WASHINGTON-Following today's historic Supreme Court ruling rejecting President Trump's repeal of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, spoke on the Senate floor to applaud the ruling and urge President Trump to finally end his cruel attempts to deport DACA recipients, who are commonly known as Dreamers. Durbin also urged the Senate to immediately take up and pass … Continue Reading
06.10.20
With Supreme Court Set To Rule On DACA Any Day, Durbin Calls On Senate To Protect Dreamers
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today thanked the health care heroes on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted one special group of health care workers - immigrants. Durbin also called on Senate Republicans to support the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promise Act, which will establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers a… Continue Reading
06.10.20
With Supreme Court Set To Rule On DACA Any Day, Durbin Calls On Senate To Protect Dreamers
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today thanked the health care heroes on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted one special group of health care workers - immigrants. Durbin also called on Senate Republicans to support the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promise Act, which will establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers a… Continue Reading
06.04.20
Durbin Calls On Congress To Protect Immigrant Doctors & Nurses On Frontlines Of COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, thanked the health care heroes on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted one special group of health care workers - immigrants. Durbin also called on his colleagues to support the bipartisan Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act, legislation to quickly address the plight of immigrant doctors and nurses w… Continue Reading
06.01.20
Durbin, Duckworth Call On DHS & HHS Inspectors General To Investigate COVID-19 Health Concerns At Pulaski County Detention Center
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) called on the Inspectors General for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to immediately investigate the urgent public health concerns for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees and facility staff at the Pulaski County Detention Center in Ullin, Illinois. Information has indicated that this remote detention facility lacks the physical layout… Continue Reading
05.28.20
Durbin Discusses Legislation To Aid Immigrant Communities During COVID-19 Pandemic With ICIRR
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today had a call with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) to discuss immigration provisions in the House-passed Heroes Act. Durbin has been fighting to include many of these provisions, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) work authorization extensions and expanded access to testing, treatment, and fin… Continue Reading
05.26.20
Durbin, Grassley, Pascrell, Gosar Lead Overhaul To H-1B, L-1 Visa Programs
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA), along with U.S. Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ-04), introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to reform and close loopholes in the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act will reduce fraud and abuse, provide protections for American workers and visa holders, and require more transparency in the recruitment of foreign workers. This complete overhaul of the H-1B an… Continue Reading
05.21.20
Durbin: We Must Protect The Immigrant Health Heroes On The Frontlines Of COVID-19 Pandemic
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, thanked the health care heroes on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and highlighted one special group of health care workers - immigrants. Durbin also called on Senate Republicans to support the House-passed Heroes Act, which would extend work authorizations for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and T… Continue Reading
05.17.20
Durbin Speaks With DACA Recipient & Emergency Room Resident To Highlight Immigrant Health Heroes
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, spoke with Dr. Manuel Bernal, a DACA recipient and emergency room resident at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Chicago, one of the busiest trauma hospitals on Chicago's South Side. In a new Facebook video, Durbin thanked Dr. Bernal for his work on the front lines of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as part of Durbin's #ImmigrantHealthHeroes initiative, and heard… Continue Reading
03.12.20
Illinois Congressional Democrats: Border Wall Reprogramming Will Result In Shortfalls Of Illinois National Guard Equipment
WASHINGTON - Today, Democratic members of the Illinois Congressional Delegation sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper expressing concern over the shortfalls of equipment for the Illinois National Guard in the wake of the Department of Defense's (DOD) decision to transfer National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA) funds to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's ineffective wall on the southwest border. For Fiscal Year 2020, the Illinois Army National Guard identifi… Continue Reading
03.05.20
Durbin Calls For Judiciary Committee Hearing On Bombshell Report On President Trump's Child Separation Policy
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today called for the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearings after the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a stunning new report on the Office of Refugee Resettlement's (ORR) Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) program and the Trump Administration's cruel and inhumane zero-tolerance policy. The Senate Judiciary… Continue Reading
03.03.20
Durbin Meets With Chief Of National Guard To Discuss Trump Admin Diversion Of Funding To Border Wall
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, today met with General Joseph Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, to discuss the Department of Defense's (DoD) short sighted and dangerous transfer of $1.3 billion from the National Guard and Reserve Equipment Account (NGREA) to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's ineffective wall on the southwest border. This funding diversion was part of the rece… Continue Reading
02.27.20
Durbin, Duckworth, Bustos To DOD: Diverting Border Wall Funding From National Guard To President's Border Wall Is Shortsighted & Political, Hurts 182nd Wing In Peoria
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), along with U.S. Representative Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17), today sent a letter to the Department of Defense (DOD) expressing their dismay about the transfer of $1.3 billion appropriated for National Guard and Reserve Equipment and $169 million appropriated for Air Guard C-130Js for the construction of President Trump's wall on our southern border. This funding was part of the recent notification of the transfer of $3.8 billion… Continue Reading
02.26.20
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Bill To Reverse & Restore Military Funding After President Trump Repeatedly Raids Defense Department For His Border Wall
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) joined 30 additional Senators to introduce the Restoring Military Priorities Act of 2020. The bill would reverse and restore the Department of Defense's (DoD) recent short sighted and dangerous transfer of $3.8 billion to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's ineffective border wall. The bill also reduces DoD's transfer authority so that DoD can… Continue Reading
02.26.20
Durbin, Senate Dems Introduce Bill To Reverse & Restore Military Funding After President Trump Repeatedly Raids Defense Department For His Border Wall
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, along with Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee; Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee; Doug Jones (D-AL), a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; and 27 addition… Continue Reading
02.14.20
Durbin, Senators Press AG Barr On Politicization Of Immigration Courts
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senator Mazie Hirono (D-HI), and a group of their colleagues, pressed Attorney General William Barr for information and documents related to the brazen politicization and maladministration of American immigration courts under President Donald Trump. Against the backdrop of President Trump's extreme and cruel anti-immigrant rhetoric, the Trump Justice Department has quietly undermined immigration courts' … Continue Reading
02.13.20
Appropriations Dems Raise Alarm On Trump Admin Decision To Divert Funding From National Guard & Other Security Programs To Border Wall
WASHINGTON - Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee Democrats today loudly objected to the Department of Defense's short sighted and dangerous transfer of $3.8 billion from the Department of Defense to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's ineffective wall on the southwest border. The reprogramming targets the men and women of the National Guard and a variety of programs added by Congress to address shortfalls that were in many cases identified by military leaders in critical eq… Continue Reading