Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin has been a champion of the DREAM Act since he first introduced the measure that would provide a pathway to citizenship for young, undocumented immigrants nearly 24 years ago.
And as Durbin finishes out his final two years in Congress, he’s reminding people in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program that he’s still fighting for them under the Trump administration.
“When they call us, we do what we can, but that is the notion of passing legislation — let’s be honest, we’re in the minority,” he told NOTUS on Wednesday.
Durbin first introduced the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, or DREAM Act, on June 15, 2001. At a press conference Wednesday marking the 24th anniversary of the legislation’s introduction, Durbin said he’s still committed to getting the legislation passed, though many of the people who’d benefit from the DREAM Act can live and work legally in the United States through DACA, which was an executive action in 2012 from President Barack Obama.
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“Now, if you listen to some politicians, and I’m not going to name names, you would think that immigrants are rapists, terrorists, murderers and mentally ill sneaking into the United States to make it unsafe,” Durbin said at the press conference Wednesday. “These young people don’t fit that category at all and never will. They are good, contributing people to the United States, and they want to do more. That’s what DACA is all about.”
In 2017, the Trump administration unsuccessfully tried to end DACA. Now it remains in various legal battles, with the administration not accepting new applications for DACA recipients, though current recipients can still renew their protections.
“It doesn’t matter if you have legal status to be here while we’re resolving your status through a bill, or if you have TPS, or even if you’re a legal permanent resident, no one is safe under this administration,” said Rep. Delia Ramirez, whose husband was a DACA recipient.
Ramirez also said that if someone is concerned about their status while Trump is in office, they should seek legal counsel and consult with Democratic members of Congress.
“Call the office for any guidance necessary because we can monitor cases,” she said.
There have been several notable legislative fights on Capitol Hill since the DREAM Act was introduced, all of them unsuccessful, with the last substantial immigration bill getting passed in 1986.
During a high-profile meeting in Trump’s first term between him and Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, Pelosi rejected a solution for Dreamers in exchange for border wall funding. The last major, high-stakes, bipartisan border bill did not include any solutions for granting status to Dreamers.
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Daniella Diaz is a reporter at NOTUS.
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