Durbin Files Amendments To Republicans’ Reconciliation Bill To Protect Immigrants

WASHINGTON – In response to the current vote-a-rama on Senate Republicans’ partisan reconciliation bill, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, filed amendments to the bill that would protect DACA recipients and keep immigration enforcement officials from targeting sensitive locations like schools and hospitals.

After failing to include funding in the bill for Trump’s billion-dollar ballroom and weaponized Justice Department, Senate Republicans are attempting to push through $70 billion in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

“Nothing in this legislation will help struggling American families with the cost of gas, groceries, housing, or health care. But Republicans are adamant about funding one of President Trump’s most unpopular issues: mass deportation. Americans are outraged at his overreaching anti-immigrant campaign that doesn’t target the ‘worst of the worst,’ and I urge Republicans to at least support these commonsense amendments to establish basic guardrails on an unruly President,” said Durbin.

Durbin’s amendments would:

• Redirect $10 million dollars towards timely processing of DACA renewal applications, and restrict funds from being used for the arrest, detention, or deportation of DACA recipients; and
• Restrict funds for immigration enforcement at or near sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools, hospitals, or domestic violence shelters.

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