06.23.16

Durbin Speaks on Senate Floor About Supreme Court Ruling on Immigration

WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today spoke on the floor of the Senate after the Supreme Court issued a 4-4 decision in the legal challenge to Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA) and the expansion of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The result of this deadlock is that the lower court decisions blocking the implementation of DAPA and DACA remain in place for now. These programs were established as part of President Obama’s immigration announcement on November 20, 2014, after House Republicans refused to consider a Senate-passed comprehensive immigration reform bill for more than 500 days.
  
“The human cost of Senate Republicans’ reckless refusal to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court is going to be felt by literally millions of people,” said Durbin. “Today, the Supreme Court failed to resolve the legal challenge to DAPA and the expanded DACA, the executive orders of the President. The result of that tie vote—four to four tie vote—leaves millions of families across America in legal limbo.”
  
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor are available here.
  
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
  
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available for TV Stations using FTP in high definition here and in standard definition here.