Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Immigration
Durbin, Duckworth: Census Should Stay On Schedule, Omit Citizenship Question
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today joined Senator Brian Schatz (D-HI) and 26 of their Senate colleagues in calling for Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross to meet the Administration's previously set deadline of July 1 to begin printing materials for the 2020 Census and move forward without adding a politically motivated question about citizenship. Their call comes a day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump Administration's rationale for addi… Continue Reading
06.27.19
Durbin Statement On Supreme Court Decision Regarding Citizenship Question On 2020 Census
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today released the following statement regarding the Supreme Court's ruling on the Trump Administration's request to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census: "Recent revelations have made it clear that the individuals who worked to add a citizenship question to the census were motivated by partisan politics. Today, the Supreme Court recognized that the Trump Administration's stated rationale for adding this question 'seems to ha… Continue Reading
06.26.19
Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of Humanitarian Aid To Southwest Border
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today voted for a bipartisan funding agreement to address the humanitarian crisis that President Donald Trump has created at our southwest border. The bill includes funding to alleviate overcrowding at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities and provide food, supplies, and medical care to mig… Continue Reading
06.25.19
Durbin: President Trump Has Created A National Embarrassment At The Border
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today slammed the Trump Administration for the inhumane conditions at the southwest border and called on the Senate to pass comprehensive immigration reform. In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin detailed recent press reports that describe detestable and unacceptable conditions at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility in Clint, Texas, which was holding mo… Continue Reading
06.19.19
Durbin: Senate Has Responsibility To Address Humanitarian Crisis President Trump Has Created At Southwest Border
WASHINGTON - In today's Senate Appropriations Committee markup, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, supported reporting to the floor a bipartisan funding agreement to address the humanitarian crisis that President Donald Trump has created at our southwest border. The bill includes funding to alleviate overcrowding at U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facilities and provide food, supplies, and medical care to mig… Continue Reading
06.19.19
Durbin Receives Update From Venezuelan President Juan Guaido
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke to interim Venezuelan President Juan Guaidó about the ongoing violence, deteriorating security situation, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela caused by the discredited regime of Nicolás Maduro. During today's call, Durbin reiterated his support for Guaidó and his constitutional role to help Venezuela return to the community of democracies, and to do so with a thoughtful and timely transition and credib… Continue Reading
06.12.19
Durbin To McConnell: End the Legislative Graveyard & Bring The American Dream And Promise Act To The Floor
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today came to the Senate floor to once again call on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to schedule a floor vote on the bipartisan House-passed American Dream and Promise Act, which will establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin a… Continue Reading
06.11.19
Durbin: President Trump Is Most Anti-Immigrant President In History & Weakest On Border Security
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today called on Senate Republicans to work with Democrats on smart, effective, and humane solutions to the humanitarian crisis at the southwest border. During today's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham's Secure and Protect Act, Durbin stated that he cannot support this proposed legislation because it would not s… Continue Reading
06.06.19
Durbin, Blumenthal, Harris, Klobuchar: Keep International Student Talent In America
WASHINGTON-U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Kamala Harris (D-CA), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) have introduced a bill that would remove unfair barriers for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) educated international students who want to work in the United States after they complete their advanced degrees. The Keep STEM Talent Act of 2019 would help grow the economy by retaining talented international graduates who have earned STEM advanced degrees fro… Continue Reading
06.05.19
Durbin Calls On Senate To Pass American Dream and Promise Act
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today called on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to schedule a floor vote on the House-passed American Dream and Promise Act, which will establish a path to citizenship for Dreamers and immigrants with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). In a speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also called on the Senate to address the humanitarian crisis at our southern border created by President Donald T… Continue Reading
05.31.19
Durbin Statement On Trump Administration Move To Impose Tariffs On Mexico As Immigration Retaliation
CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today released the following statement after President Donald Trump announced that his Administration will impose a five percent tariff on all goods coming into the United States from Mexico until Mexico stops migrants and families seeking asylum from coming to the U.S. border through Mexico. Mexico is Illinois' second largest export market and third largest import market. "… Continue Reading
05.31.19
Durbin Statement On DHS IG Report Regarding Dangerous & Inhumane Conditions At CBP Facility In El Paso
CHICAGO-U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, today released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a report detailing the inhumane and dangerous overcrowding of migrants at the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center: "What I saw at the El Paso Del Norte Processing Center on April 12 has haunted me ever since, and is detailed vividly in t… Continue Reading
05.29.19
Durbin, Murray, Feinstein Press HHS For Information & Reforms Following Undisclosed Death Of Migrant Child
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), the top Democrats with jurisdiction over the government's handling of migrant children, today pressed U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar for information following last week's acknowledgment that a 10-year-old girl from El Salvador died in the agency's custody on September 29, 2018. This was the first death of a migrant child in federal custody since 2010, and the … Continue Reading
05.22.19
In Aftermath Of Child Migrant Deaths, Durbin, Senators Call For Investigating Detention Facilities At Southwest Border
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, today led 24 Senators in calling on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Acting Inspector General to immediately investigate DHS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) detention facilities at the southwest border, in particular the conditions for minors, family units, and other vulnerable individuals. The … Continue Reading
05.21.19
Durbin: Trump Administration Anti-Immigration Policies Are Inhumane & Making Us Less Safe
WASHINGTON - Following reports of the death of a teenager at a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility - the fifth child since December to die after being apprehended by CBP - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today slammed the Trump Administration for its anti-immigrant policies and practices, including rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, separating thousands of children from their parents at the southwest border, and the dire conditions at the… Continue Reading
05.14.19
Senate Dems Reintroduce Central America Reform And Enforcement Act
WASHINGTON - Senate Democrats today announced the reintroduction of a major legislative proposal to address the root causes of the Central American migrant crisis. The proposal, which was introduced by Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), and Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Tom Carper (D-DE), and Mazie Hirono (D-HI), outlines the coordinated regional response needed to effectively manage the endemi… Continue Reading
05.10.19
Senators Oppose Defense Department Transfer Of $1.5 Billion To Pay For President Trump's Wall
WASHINGTON - Every Democratic member of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee and the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies today slammed the Department of Defense for its transfer of another $1.5 billion to be used to build part of President Donald Trump's wall on the southwest border. In a letter to Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, the Senators expressed concern that this reprogramming comes at the expense of the… Continue Reading
05.09.19
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 Am… Continue Reading
05.08.19
Durbin Questions Defense Secretary On DOD Involvement At The Southwest Border
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Vice Chairman of the Senate Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, today questioned Patrick Shanahan, Acting Secretary of Defense, and General Joseph Dunford, Jr., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, about the continued use of Department of Defense (DoD) funding and personnel at our southern border. In today's hearing, Durbin pressed Acting Secretary Shanahan on why there is no money appropriated in the fiscal year 2020 budget when i… Continue Reading
04.10.19
Durbin: If President Trump Truly Cares About Venezuela, He Should Grant TPS Status To Venezuelans In The U.S.
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today once again called on President Donald Trump to promptly designate Venezuela for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to ensure that Venezuelan nationals currently present in the United States are not forced to return to Venezuela at this dangerous time. In a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing yesterday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo could not tell Durbin whether or not the Trump Administration would offer TPS to approximatel… Continue Reading