During Voting Marathon To Greenlight Trump’s Mass Deportation Campaign, Senate Republicans Reject Durbin’s Amendment To Protect DACA Recipients

During Voting Marathon To Greenlight Trump's Mass Deportation Campaign, Senate Republicans Reject Durbin's Amendment To Protect DACA Recipients

WASHINGTON - As Senate Republicans attempt to jam through nearly $70 billion in funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to support the President's cruel mass deportation campaign, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of the Dream Act, called up his amendment to protect DACA recipients for a vote. The amendment would redirect $10 million towards timely processing of DACA renewal applications, while also restricting ICE and CBP funds in the bill from being used for the arrest, detention, deportation, or removal of DACA recipients who meet the requirements of the program.

Ultimately, most Senate Republicans blocked the amendment from passing with a 48-51 vote, making clear that Republicans are willing to greenlight this Administration's inhumane treatment of immigrants, regardless of their DACA status or lack of criminal record.

Durbin said ahead of the vote, "This is something that we're all familiar with-DACA recipients. They came to the United States as infants, toddlers, and children. To qualify for DACA, they have to register every two years and pay a $600 fee [and] go through a complete criminal background check before they can be approved. If they violate the terms of the background check, they are disqualified from DACA. What they are looking for is a job-to legally work in the United States and not to be deported… They get no special benefits for being on DACA-no special government benefits. This language basically says the DACA recipients will be protected from arrest, detention, and removal."

Since returning to office, President Trump has used every tool at his disposal to thwart the protections of DACA. Last year, ICE arrested at least 261 DACA recipients and deported 86 of them. Even those who have not been detained have faced unprecedented delays in renewing their DACA status. Without renewal, these young people will lose their ability to work legally in the United States and will no longer be protected from deportation. Further, a recent Board of Immigration Appeals decision has paved the way for current DACA holders to be issued removal orders, increasing their likelihood of detention and deportation even with valid DACA authorization. The impacts are even worse for Dreamers who cannot obtain protections pursuant to DACA.

Video of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

Audio of Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor is available here.

In March, Durbin and U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) led 39 of their Senate Democratic Caucus colleagues in a letterto then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow demanding DHS reduce the delays in processing renewal applications under the DACA program.

In February, Durbin called out DHS for wrongfully targeting and removing DACA recipients. According to DHS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 261 DACA recipients and 86 have been removed from the country between January 1, 2025, and November 19, 2025.

Beginning in 2001, Durbin introduced the Dream Act to give young immigrants the chance to earn U.S. citizenship. He has introduced the legislation every Congress since. Over the years, Durbin has told the stories of 150 Dreamers on the Senate Floor. In 2012, Durbin worked with then-President Obama to establish the DACA program to allow these young people to gain temporary status. The most current available government data shows that the number of DACA holders has fallen from roughly 530,000 in September 2024 to roughly 515,000 in June 2025.

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