Durbin Delivers Opening Statement During Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing on the Urgent Need to Protect Dreamers
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered an opening statement during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled “Dream Deferred: The Urgent Need to Protect Immigrant Youth.” The hearing will emphasize the urgent need for Congress to pass legal protections for noncitizens who were brought to the United States as children.
These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status. However, under current law, there is often no chance for them to ever become citizens and fulfill their potential. One of the today’s witnesses include Illinoisan Mitchell Soto-Rodriguez, the first DACA recipient to serve in the Blue Island Police Department.
Key Quotes:
“Twenty-four years ago, I met a young woman in Chicago named Tereza Lee. She had the opportunity to go to the Manhattan Conservatory of Music—but she learned when she started to fill out her application that she was undocumented, even though she had been brought to the U.S. when she was only two. She was confused, afraid, and searching for options to pursue her dreams in the only country she had ever called home.”
“I was frustrated by the lack of options in our immigration system for these young people who were brought here as children and infants by their parents. Tereza inspired me to introduce the Dream Act.”
“I started to speak in Illinois and on the Senate floor about the challenges these young Americans face. Their stories stay with us, because we see ourselves reflected in them. Many Dreamers would approach and whisper to me, ‘Senator, I’m one of those children you were talking about.’”
“More than two decades later, Dreamers are not whispering anymore. I am proud to see them, like some of our witnesses today, become fierce advocates for America to live up to its promise of equal justice for all.”
“It was 23 years ago when I first introduced the Dream Act with the late Republican Senator Orrin Hatch to provide relief for these young Americans… While a bipartisan majority of Senators has supported the Dream Act on numerous occasions, unfortunately, it has been [repeatedly] filibustered when it comes to the floor.”
“Because of Congress’s inaction, at the urging of myself and the late Republican Senator Richard Lugar, President Obama announced Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, better known as DACA, in 2012. More than 830,000 Dreamers have been protected by DACA since 2012… Thanks to DACA, these young people have been able to pursue higher education, start businesses, buy homes, and raise families. DACA allows Dreamers to match their talents to labor market needs, increasing their wages and contributions to the U.S. economy.”
“Ongoing litigation brought by Republican attorneys general threatens everything that DACA recipients have built in this country. Even if courts find, as they should, that DACA is lawful, a future administration could try to end the program. We saw this when the former President attempted to eliminate DACA. And clearly he would try again if he’s given a chance.”
“DACA was always intended to be a temporary stopgap until Congress acts on a permanent solution. The time is long past due Congress to do our part and provide a path to citizenship for Dreamers.”
Video of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s opening statement is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s opening statement is available here for TV Stations.
Durbin first introduced the Dream Act to protect Dreamers in 2001. This bipartisan legislation would allow Dreamers to earn lawful permanent status if they undergo rigorous background checks and meet certain education or work requirements. The Dream Act was also included in the 2013 comprehensive immigration reform bill that Durbin coauthored as part of the “Gang of Eight” – made up of four Democrats and four Republicans. The 2013 bill passed the Senate on a strong bipartisan vote of 68-32, but the Republican leadership of the House of Representatives refused to consider it. Over the years, Senate Republicans have filibustered the Dream Act at least five times.
-30-
