Press Releases
Currently showing results related to Immigration
Durbin Meets With Illinois Higher Education Leaders To Discuss Impact Of “Operation Midway Blitz” And Meeting The Moment For Their Students
WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) met with the University of Illinois (U of I) System President Tim Killeen and University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda to discuss the impact of President Trump’s “Operation Midway Blitz” and militarized immigration enforcement efforts on student and school safety, as well as how UIC is continuing to step up for its students through the uncertainty and fear. The meeting follows reporting on a viral video … Continue Reading
October 21, 2025
Durbin Presses Noem On Lax ICE Hiring Standards, Inflammatory Recruitment Messaging
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, pressed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on recent changes to hiring practices at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Following a massive funding increase by Congress, ICE is recruiting new staff by employing polarizing and inflammatory recruitment messaging while also lowering age and training requirements with signing bonuses. In a letter to … Continue Reading
October 17, 2025
Durbin Statement On Trump Administration Urging Supreme Court To Green Light The Deployment Of National Guard Troops To Chicago
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the Trump Administration filed an emergency appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to overturn lower-court rulings that have temporarily blocked President Trump’s plans to deploy the National Guard to Chicago: “After federal judges appointed by presidents of both parties repeatedly ruled that President Trump cannot deploy service members as his … Continue Reading
October 17, 2025
Durbin, Schumer, Reed, Coons, Duckworth Lead Senators In Requesting DOD Inspector General Inquiry Into Domestic Deployment Of Military In American Cities
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee; U.S. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee; U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense; and combat Veteran U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) led 22 Senators in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Defense Acting Inspector General … Continue Reading
October 17, 2025
As Trump Administration Pursues Deployment Of Military In American Cities, Durbin, Padilla, Schiff, Wyden, & Merkley Meet With NORTHCOM Leadership
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), along with U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR), spoke with NORTHCOM leadership about the Trump Administration’s unlawful deployment of troops to American cities for immigration and law enforcement support. During the call, the Senators requested additional information about how these domestic deployments will impact military readiness and stressed that the nation’s military … Continue Reading
October 16, 2025
Durbin Debunks Republican Falsehoods On ICE In Chicago, Calls For Secretary Noem To Testify Before Senate Judiciary Committee
WASHINGTON - At an executive business meeting this morning, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, debunked previously-peddled falsehoods by Senate Judiciary Republicans about President Trump’s unlawful attempt to deploy the National Guard to Illinois, as well as re-upping Democrats’ months-long call for Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem to testify before the Committee. Durbin began by refuting U.S. Senator … Continue Reading
October 13, 2025
Durbin Statement On The Return Of The Hostages Held By Hamas
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) released the following statement on the release of the remaining 20 living hostages held by Hamas: “Congratulations to President Trump for the historic Gaza agreement. We know there are still critical elements to be negotiated and settled but the release of the Israeli hostages and the Palestinian prisoners is a good faith start. “Now let’s negotiate a political ceasefire on Capitol … Continue Reading
September 30, 2025
Durbin, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan H-1B, L-1 Visa Reform Bill
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, reintroduced bipartisan legislation to reform and close loopholes in the H-1B and L-1 visa programs. The H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act targets fraud and abuse in our immigration system, provides protections for American workers and visa holders, and enhances transparency in the foreign worker … Continue Reading
September 25, 2025
Durbin, Grassley Take Aim At Labor Exploitation In Tech, Finance, Retail Sectors
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, are scrutinizing major corporations who are the biggest users of the H-1B visa program for filing thousands of H-1B visa petitions after conducting mass layoffs of American employees. In letters to ten major corporations, the Senators are requesting information and data from each company regarding their … Continue Reading
September 23, 2025
Durbin Leads Illinois Democrats In Demanding An End To Dangerous And Reckless Immigration Operations
CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today led all Democratic members of the Illinois delegation in sending a letter to U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem demanding answers about the extreme immigration enforcement operations in Illinois under “Operation Midway Blitz” and “Operation at Large.” In the letter, the lawmakers reprimanded DHS, the Department of Justice (DOJ), and U.S. Immigration and Customs … Continue Reading
September 19, 2025
Durbin, Cramer, Schneider, Bacon Introduce Bipartisan Bill Addressing Shortage Of Doctors, Nurses
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), along with U.S. Representatives Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) and Don Bacon (R-NE-02), today introduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to quickly address our nation’s shortage of doctors and nurses. The Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act would recapture 25,000 unused immigrant visas for nurses and 15,000 unused immigrant visas for physicians that … Continue Reading
September 18, 2025
Durbin Calls Out Trump Administration’s Misguided, Partisan Approach To Immigration
WASHINGTON - In a speech on the Senate floor yesterday, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called out the Trump Administration’s misguided, partisan approach to immigration. After an immigration subcommittee hearing led by Senate Judiciary Republicans yesterday, Durbin said: “This [hearing] begs the question—why, now that they are in control, are Senate Republicans continuing to focus on the Biden Administration instead of … Continue Reading
September 08, 2025
Durbin Condemns President Trump's Vile, Fearmongering Social Post About Mass Deportations In Chicago
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today delivered a scathing rebuttal to President Trump’s continued attacks on Chicago, in addition to his deployment of ICE agents to the city as part of his newly-announced “Operation Midway Blitz.” In his remarks on the Senate floor, Durbin made clear that President Trump’s actions are performative, and if he did intend to truly support Chicagoans, he would work with the state’s … Continue Reading
September 08, 2025
Durbin Statement On Federal Immigration Raids In Chicago
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement on planned immigration raids as part of the Administration’s so-called “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago: “As President Trump continues to wrongly hyper-fixate on deploying the military to Chicago, his Administration is now ramping up its campaign to arrest hardworking immigrants with no criminal convictions. “These actions don’t make us safer. They … Continue Reading
September 05, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth, Schneider Visit Naval Station Great Lakes, Locked Out By DHS
NORTH CHICAGO — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) joined U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Representative Brad Schneider (D-IL-10) to visit Naval Station Great Lakes amid President Trump’s plans to support U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officers and his threats to deploy the military to Chicago are imminent. “The Naval Station Great Lakes is one of the most important training facilities our nation has,” said Durbin. “I’ve been honored to work alongside my … Continue Reading
September 04, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth Join Warren To Lead Investigation Into Trump Administration's Betrayal Of Immigrant Service Members, Veterans, And Military Families
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), along with Representatives Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA-06), Maggie Goodlander (D-NH-02), and Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), opened a new investigation into the Trump Administration’s arrest, detention, and deportation of non-citizen service members, Veterans, and military families. The lawmakers wrote to the Department of … Continue Reading
September 03, 2025
Durbin, Padilla, Kelly Lead Senate Democrats In Calling Out Trump Administration's Wrongful Targeting Of DACA Recipients In Illegal Immigration Scheme
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) led a group of 38 Senate Democrats in pressing U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem on the Trump Administration’s wrongful targeting of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in its mass deportation scheme. The Senators began by citing a troubling statement from DHS Assistant … Continue Reading
August 26, 2025
ICYMI: Senate Judiciary Democrats Call On Secretary Noem To Testify Before The Committee
SPRINGFIELD - In case you missed it, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats on June 17, 2025, in calling on Chairman Grassley to schedule U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem for testimony before the committee. Such a hearing has yet to be scheduled, despite then-Chair Durbin holding a DHS oversight hearing months into then-Homeland Security Secretary … Continue Reading
August 21, 2025
Durbin Admonishes Attorney General Bondi For Politicized Firing Of Nonpartisan Immigration Judges As Trump Administration Carries Out Mass Deportation Scheme
SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi about the continued arbitrary firing of immigration judges despite an unprecedented backlog of immigration cases. In his letter, Durbin criticizes the Trump Administration’s political motives for firing these immigration judges, 15 of whom the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), which … Continue Reading
August 13, 2025
Durbin, Duckworth, Budzinski Welcome 400 New Citizens At State Fair Naturalization Ceremony
SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski (D-IL-13) today celebrated the naturalization of 400 new citizens from 72 countries at the Illinois State Fair Naturalization Ceremony. “We are a nation of immigrants, and I proudly display my mother’s naturalization certificate on my desk in the Capitol as a reminder of the pursuit of the American Dream,” said Durbin. “I was honored to welcome 400 new … Continue Reading