Durbin: When Will My Colleagues On The Other Side Of The Aisle Decide The Cruelty And Fear Tactics Of This Administration Must Stop?
In his speech on the Senate floor, Durbin also stated that if the Supreme Court enables the President to deploy troops to American cities over the objection of state officials, it will cause lasting harm to our Republic
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered a speech on the Senate floor to condemn “Operation Midway Blitz” in Illinois. During his speech, Durbin reflected on the cruel tactics coming from this Administration—ripping families apart, with ICE and CBP showing up at schools, churches, health departments, and more.
Last Friday, the Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court to greenlight the deployment of National Guard troops to Illinois after lower courts had temporarily blocked the deployment.
Durbin said, “In her decision, District Court Judge April Perry said the Trump Administration has produced ‘no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion’ in Illinois. Rather, Judge Perry found that, ‘the unnecessary deployment of military troops, untrained for local policing, will escalate tensions and undermine the ordinary law enforcement activities of state and local entities.’”
Three judges on the Seventh Circuit Appeals Court—including one appointed by President Bush and another appointed by President Trump—agreed with Judge Perry. They found, “the facts do not justify the President’s actions in Illinois.”
“I have been honored to represent the great state of Illinois in Congress for over 40 years. And yes, like every state, Illinois has its challenges, such as addressing crime. But for the last two decades, the murder rate in Illinois has been lower than the murder rates in Republican-led states like Missouri, Louisiana, and Alabama. And violent crime is down dramatically in the city of Chicago. We should build on this success and reduce the crime rate even more… [President Trump’s] unjustified and unlawful attempts to deploy troops to Chicago and other American cities are a threat to our basic, democratic institutions,” Durbin continued.
Durbin said, “The Supreme Court should reject the President’s petition to use these troops in America. There is no emergency that justifies bypassing the regular appeals process and resolving this case on the Court’s shadow docket, without the full public scrutiny this issue deserves.”
Last week, Durbin received a heartbreaking message from one of his constituents, Petty Officer Second Class Jessica Wendlandt, a provider at Lake County Health Department in Waukegan, IL. In her letter, Officer Wendlandt mentioned that some of her patients have stopped showing up for their appointments because ICE officers are camping out right in front of the facility. Ms. Wendlandt said, “My patients have not been able to come to their medical appointments out of fear of being taken.”
“Picture it, if you will—people, families taking [their] children in for a doctor’s appointment. [They are] afraid to go, leave their car, and walk the short distance to the clinic because ICE officials in their combat uniforms and masked, in unmarked vehicles, were lurking outside the clinic,” said Durbin,
“These raids are impacting the ability of medical providers to provide treatment,” Durbin said. “Jessica also mentioned that she was treating a mother at the health center when the mother ‘received several phone calls and messages that ICE had raided the apartment buildings right behind the facility. The patient was so distraught and in tears that treatment could not be completed that day because she needed to rush home to her children.’”
“Imagine for a moment—the fear a mother must have felt receiving a call from her kids, scared and screaming that masked men are trying to break into their home? Is this America? Can you imagine the confusion and fear those children must have felt seeing those men at their door, wondering who they were, and if they were there to hurt them? And it’s not just health centers in Illinois. ICE is camping out in front of City Halls, schools, churches, and regularly outside a Home Depot, where they detained a father who is the sole provider for his two children, including a daughter with Stage 4 cancer,” Durbin continued.
Durbin then told the story of sixteen-year-old Ofelia Torres, a cancer patient who receives treatment at Lurie Children’s Hospital, and whose father is detained.
“When will my colleagues on the other side of the aisle decide the cruelty and fear tactics of this Administration must stop? This is America. When will they choose to put an end to the racial profiling and detention of even American citizens, including veterans and children? And this is all supposed to be about ‘violent crime?’ It’s not,” Durbin continued.
“Enough. If this was actually about reducing crime, President Trump wouldn’t be slashing programs that actually help local law enforcement. This cruelty is all for show,” Durbin continued. “While Americans continue to pay inflated prices at the grocery store and face the prospect of skyrocketing health care premium costs, this is what the President is focused on.”
Durbin concluded his speech by urging the Supreme Court to stand up to the Trump Administration’s attempts to cut both Congress and the courts out of decisions squarely assigned to them by the Constitution.
Durbin concluded, “President Trump’s claims of ‘invasions,’ ‘rebellions,’ or ‘emergencies’ to justify calling the military into American cities are shameless attempts to bypass our constitutional checks and balances… Political opposition, peaceful protests, and nonviolent civil disobedience are not rebellions. They are the bedrock of our democracy… If the Supreme Court enables Trump to deploy troops to American cities over the objection of state officials before the courts rule on the legality of these actions, I fear it will cause immediate and lasting harm to our Republic. I ask my Republican colleagues, are you really prepared for your state to be next on [President Trump’s] takeover list? Are you ready for masked soldiers to grab your constituents from their homes?”
Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is 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 here for TV Stations.