Durbin Calls Out Trump Administration’s Actions Against DACA

Durbin Calls Out Trump Administration's Actions Against DACA

CHICAGO - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today joined the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) for a press conference to speak out against the ways in which the Trump Administration is attacking the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. This follows the April 24^th ruling by the Department of Justice (DOJ) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) that DACA will no longer protect recipients from removal proceedings or deportation.

"Thanks to DACA, over 800,000 Dreamers have been able to fulfill their potential in our country, becoming doctors, teachers, and small business owners," said Durbin. "Despite Dreamers' countless contributions to America, the Trump Administration is slow walking DACA renewals until an individual's DACA expires, putting them at risk of deportation. It's time for Congress to pass the Dream Act to give Dreamers a pathway to citizenship.

"The Board of Immigration Appeals decision adds to a growing pattern by the Trump administration to erode the DACA program and destabilize entire communities. It also fits a larger pattern of attacks on due process, as the administration pressures immigration judges to issue rulings that align with unlawful mass deportation policies and, when those decisions are appealed, the Board of Immigration Appeals rules against immigrants in almost every case. For DACA recipients and families, there are no easy answers right now, but NIJC is steadfast in our commitment to defend DACA and all of our undocumented community members," said Vanessa Esparaza-Lopez, Associate Director of Immigrant Legal Defense Project at the National Immigrant Justice Center.

Durbin reintroduced the Dream Act with Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in December. 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. As of September 2024, roughly 530,000 people had active DACA status. By September 2025, that number had dropped by 32,000. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not published updated data on how many individuals have been arrested and deported after their DACA authorization expired.

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