Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin delivered an opening statement on May 12 during a spotlight forum focused on the need to protect Dreamers, recent threats to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, and the urgency of passing the bipartisan Dream Act.
The topic is significant as changes in DACA policy impact hundreds of thousands of young immigrants living in the United States. The discussion comes amid renewed attempts by the Trump Administration to end or limit protections for DACA recipients, also known as Dreamers.
Durbin said he first introduced the Dream Act in 2001 and has continued to reintroduce it every Congress since then. He recounted his experience at Chicago’s Navy Pier when DACA began: “When DACA went into effect in August 2012, I was at Chicago’s Navy Pier. Congressman Luis Gutierrez was with me. We expected several hundreds of people. We hoped to have enough volunteer attorneys to take care of them. It turned out, more than 10,000 showed up… Many of these parents waited hours to get their kids registered for DACA. They would come up to me and say, ‘Durbin, we’re disclosing all our information about our family to the government. Will they use it against us?’ And I said, ‘no, you follow the law, you follow the executive order, and we’ll be able to help you.’ I had no way to imagine what we would face today for those who trusted the government when they signed up.”
He added: “We were shocked when thousands of young people showed up [at Navy Pier]. In the end, 830,000 young people became DACA protected. In 2022 alone, DACA recipients contributed nearly $2.1 billion to Social Security and Medicare, working as doctors, teachers, police officers, and more.”
Durbin criticized recent administrative actions: “Unfortunately, the [Trump] Administration has launched an assault on DACA. President Trump tried but failed to end the program in his first term... [In his second term], he has tried again.” He also addressed delays impacting renewals: “My office has heard from constituents who are filing renewals up to 150 days in advance...and still losing their protections due to delayed adjudication.”
Accordingly,the Senate Judiciary Committee serves as a standing committee with authority over judicial matters nationwide; its legislative oversight affects constitutional protections and public safety across communities.
Recent data shows that between January 1 and November 19 of last year U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested over two hundred sixty-one DACA holders while eighty-six were deported; processing time delays have left many without work authorization or protection from detention.
A new Board of Immigration Appeals decision now allows removal orders against current DACA holders even if they have valid status—a change that increases risks for affected individuals—and processing bans remain active for applicants from thirty-nine countries.
Summing up his commitment Durbin said: “I have spent more than 20 years fighting for Dreamers...and I will spend the rest of my time in the Senate continuing that fight.”
