Press Releases
Durbin Reveals Devastating Insights Into Dilley Detention Facility, Calls On Judiciary Republicans To Hold Committee Oversight Hearing On The Treatment Of Children And Families In ICE Detention
NAPERVILLE - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released devastating insights into conditions at the South Texas Family Residential Center (Dilley) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. The visits to Dilley provided new, incriminating insights into the cruelty of the illegal Trump mass deportation agenda, including inhumane conditions, deficient medical care, taunting children, inadequate education for … Continue Reading
July 31, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Challenge FAA’s Decision To Extend Chicago O’Hare’s Flight Cap For A Full Year
INGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Bryan Bedford to express their concerns regarding the yearlong extension of the daily cap of 2,708 flights per day at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). In April, the FAA announced that the 2,708 daily flight cap would remain in effect from May to October 2026. However, … Continue Reading
July 30, 2026
Durbin, Cramer, Boozman Introduce New Legislation To Advance Judicial Independence And Security
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senators Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and John Boozman (R-AR) today introduced new, bipartisan legislation to give the federal judiciary authority to manage courthouse facilities in 10 judicial districts across the country. The Judicial Space and Facilities Management Effectiveness Act (JSFMEA) would establish a pilot program allowing the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (AO) to assume control of courthouse facilities from … Continue Reading
July 29, 2026
“The Cruelty Is The Point,” Durbin Says In Opening Statement At His Spotlight Forum On Abusive Conditions In ICE Facilities
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today hosted a spotlight forum entitled “The Cruelty Is the Point: The Deadly Legacy of ICE Detention Under President Trump.” Today’s forum, which featured testimony from Ricardo Hernandez-Navarrete, the Chicago student who was detained for two months and experienced harsh conditions in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facilities, examined how the Trump Administration’s cruel … Continue Reading
July 29, 2026
As Trump Admin Prepares To Deport Haitian TPS Holders, Durbin Calls For Passage Of The SECURE Act
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called for passage of the Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency(SECURE) Act—legislation that would allow qualified Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients a path to legal permanent residency. During his remarks, Durbin noted that the legislation is necessary and urgent given last … Continue Reading
July 29, 2026
Durbin Statement On Latest Developments In Todd Blanche’s Embattled Attorney General Nomination
WASHINGTON - In a statement to the Congressional record, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, provided his latest assessment of the state of Todd Blanche’s nomination to be Attorney General. “Tomorrow, the Senate Judiciary Committee is scheduled to hold a key vote on Todd Blanche’s nomination to be Attorney General… The position demands that the Attorney General be someone committed to the rule of law and the Constitution more than … Continue Reading
July 28, 2026
Durbin Sounds Alarm On President Trump’s Crypto Cash Grab
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, questioned witnesses at Senator Richard Blumenthal’s (D-CT) and Senator Chris Van Hollen’s (D-MD) spotlight forum that examined President Trump’s corruption within the crypto industry. The forum, which featured testimony from a victim of a crypto-scam, a former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official, and anticorruption advocates, examined how the Trump Administration has … Continue Reading
July 27, 2026
On The Senate Floor, Durbin Reflects On Meeting With Recently Freed Political Prisoner, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) reflected on his meeting last week with recently freed political prisoner, Pastor Ezra Jin Mingri, and his daughter in his Washington, D.C office. Pastor Jin was jailed for 266 days in a Chinese prison for operating a church and at least eight of his congregants remain imprisoned. His daughter, Grace, fought tirelessly for his release. During Durbin’s speech, he called for the release of the remaining … Continue Reading
July 27, 2026
Durbin Slams Trump Administration’s $88 Billion Supplemental Request While The President, Secretary Hegseth Have No Strategy To End War With Iran
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, today delivered a rebuke of the Trump Administration’s excessive supplemental funding request to bankroll the President’s war of choice in Iran. During his remarks, Durbin reiterated that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump have failed to provide any concrete plan of action for ending the war in Iran, yet, with more than $75 billion in unspent money … Continue Reading
July 24, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Call On GSA To Act With Urgency To Address Ongoing Maintenance Issues At Dirksen & Roszkowski Courthouses
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) sent a letter to General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Ed Forst calling on GSA to act with urgency to complete longstanding maintenance issues at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse and the Stanley J. Roszkowski U.S. Courthouse in the Northern District of Illinois. The Senators first wrote to Administrator Forst on April 27, 2026, and GSA has since made recent progress in … Continue Reading
July 23, 2026
Durbin Meets With Recently Freed Chinese Political Prisoner, Pastor Jin Mingri
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with recently freed Chinese political prisoner, Pastor Jin Mingri, in his Washington D.C. office. Durbin has repeatedly called for Pastor Jin Mingri’s release and introduced a bipartisan resolution with U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) urging President Trump to prioritize securing the release of political prisoners, including Pastor Jin Mingri, during the President’s recent visit to China. The resolution passed the Senate in … Continue Reading
July 23, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth Introduce Resolution Celebrating 150 Years Of The Chicago Cubs Baseball Team
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) today introduced a resolution commending the Chicago Cubs baseball team as it celebrates its 150th anniversary on August 29, 2026. The resolution notes that since 1876, more than 182,000,000 fans have attended games of the Chicago Cubs, and millions more have listened to games on the radio and watched games on television across the United States and the world. U.S. Representative Mike Quigley … Continue Reading
July 23, 2026
Durbin Speaks Against Todd Blanche’s Nomination To Be Attorney General In Senate Judiciary Committee Markup
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, delivered an opening statement during today’s Senate Judiciary Committee executive business meeting where he spoke against the nomination of Todd Blanche, President Trump’s pick to be U.S. Attorney General. Durbin also addressed Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) comments about special prosecutor Jack Smith. Durbin again called for Committee Republicans to … Continue Reading
July 22, 2026
Durbin Questions Witnesses During Spotlight Forum On President Trump’s Nominee To Be Attorney General, Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today questioned witnesses during a spotlight forum hosted by U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) examining President Trump’s pick to be the Attorney General, Todd Blanche. Durbin first questioned Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania, Claire Finkelstein, founder and faculty director of the Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law (CERL), about the conflict of interest involving … Continue Reading
July 22, 2026
Following Alarming Reports Social Security Will Face Insolvency By 2032, Durbin Calls On Congress To Strengthen Social Security Before End Of The Year
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) raised alarms that the Social Security Trust Fund will face insolvency in 2032 unless Congress acts and called on his colleagues to pass his new bipartisan legislation, the Protecting Retirement Opportunities and Maintaining Income Security for Everyone (PROMISE) Act, to initiate Congressional action on extending Social Security’s solvency. “In 1983, we [Congress] faced a possibility where we … Continue Reading
July 22, 2026
Durbin, Duckworth, Wyden, Sanders, Scanlon, Dingell, Simon Lead 100 Members Of Congress In Calling On DOJ To Rescind Opinion Undermining Olmstead
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL); U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee; U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and U.S. Representatives Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-07), Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), and Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) today led 100 Members of Congress in a letter … Continue Reading
July 21, 2026
Durbin Presses Secretary Hegseth On Cost Of Iran War As DOD Is Sitting On Billions Of Unobligated Funds
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, today participated in an Appropriations Committee hearing to review President Trump’s June 24, 2026, Supplemental funding request of $87.6 billion—including $67 billion for Department of Defense (DoD) funding. In addition to an unprecedented defense spending request while cutting non-defense spending, DoD has $75 billion in unobligated funding from Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill … Continue Reading
July 21, 2026
Ahead Of Confirmation Vote, Durbin Speaks Out Against Kara Westercamp’s Nomination To Lifetime Position On The Court Of International Trade Over Inflammatory Social Media Posts
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, denounced the nomination of Kara Westercamp to a lifetime appointment on the Court of International Trade (CIT). Ms. Westercamp’s now-deleted social media posts questioned the outcome of the 2020 election; whitewashed the January 6 attack on the Capitol; attacked Chief Justice Roberts for not being sufficiently conservative; and crudely attacked … Continue Reading
July 21, 2026
Durbin Urges His Colleagues To Oppose Trump’s Nominee To Be Attorney General, Todd Blanche
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on his colleagues to vote against the nomination of Todd Blanche to be U.S. Attorney General. During his remarks, Durbin recalled the second day of Mr. Blanche’s nomination hearing, when the Committee convened an outside panel of witnesses to discuss his fitness to serve in this position. One of the witnesses Durbin invited was Dani Bensky—a … Continue Reading
July 20, 2026
Durbin Denounces Recent Surge In Trump Administration’s Cruel Campaign Against Immigrants
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, denounced the recent surge in the Trump Administration’s cruel campaign against immigrants following the fatal shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine, by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. Durbin also called out the Trump Administration’s false narrative that federal … Continue Reading