Catherine Cortez Masto

03/19/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/19/2026 12:57

ICYMI: Cortez Masto Stands Up for Vulnerable Immigrant Communities

In Case You Missed It, U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) has been standing up to protect vulnerable immigrants in Nevada and across the United States, including Dreamers, as the Trump Administration continues to attack immigrant communities.

Cortez Masto has been a leading voice in pushing for commonsense guardrails on ICE and CBP in any future DHS funding bill and introduced the PUBLIC SAFETY Act to redirect almost $75 billion in additional ICE funding to local law enforcement agencies. This past week, she worked to shine a light on how the Trump Administration's immigration policies negatively affect Dreamers, SIJS youth, and children in immigrant families.

Read more:

NBC News: Abused and neglected youths granted immigration protections are being detained and deported

By Daniella Silva

  • They were offered a path to a green card reserved for young immigrants who experienced abuse or abandonment in their countries of origin. Then the Trump administration detained and deported them.
  • From Jan. 20 to Dec. 22 of last year, ICE detained 265 and deported 132 young people with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), according to a letter the Department of Homeland Security sent to Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., obtained exclusively by NBC News.
  • Cortez Masto led a group of lawmakers in June who called on DHS to disclose how many youths with SIJS have been detained or deported or had lost their deferred action.
  • Cortez Masto told NBC News:"We have specifically identified them because they are fleeing their countries in horrific conditions. We do not want them to be further harmed or exploited in our country, so we have created specific provisions under the law so that we are looking out for their best interest."

NOTUS: Senate Democrats Demand Answers for DHS 'Slow-Walking' DACA Renewals

By Jackie Llanos

  • Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Dick Durbin are spearheading an inquiry into the Trump administration's delay in renewing deportation protections and work permits for immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
  • "What has happened here, and this is the concern of mine and many of my colleagues, is DHS, because of their punitive deportation plan, are slow walking this intentionally so they can use this as a change of circumstance for these DACA recipients," Cortez Masto told NOTUS, which is the first to report on the letter.
  • "It really is a betrayal of the system, a betrayal of a community who has faithfully trusted the United States government," she said.

Watch More:

KSNV, Las Vegas (Broadcast): Cortez Masto Fights for Dreamers on the Senate Floor

Anchor: "Nevada Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto taking to the Senate floor to shine a light on the state of immigration enforcement in our valley, including what she says is the lack of protections for Dreamers, undocumented people brought to the U.S. as children."

Cortez Masto: "What the administration is doing to DACA recipients, to Dreamers, to their families, and even to the United States citizens goes against everything our nation was founded on."

YouTube: Senate Forum: Trump's Mass Deportation Tactics Are Traumatizing Children

Cortez Masto: "It is right for all of us to take action, be advocates, look out for the best interests of our neighbors. Stand up - whether it's in the courts or in our communities or what we can do immediately because of the impact that this administration is having."

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Catherine Cortez Masto published this content on March 19, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on March 19, 2026 at 18:57 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]