Fellow Illinoisan,

Yesterday marked ninety days since the Supreme Court rejected President Trump’s efforts to end the DACA program and remove deportation protections for Dreamers, young immigrants who came to the United States as children.  

In his opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts called the President’s attempt to rescind DACA “arbitrary and capricious.”  I could not agree more.

NINETY DAYS SINCE LANDMARK SCTOUS DACA DECISION, DURBIN CALLS ON SENATE TO PASS DREAM & PROMISE ACT

But remarkably, in the three months since the Supreme Court handed down their decision, the Trump Administration has simply refused to comply.  In July, a federal judge issued an order for the Administration to begin accepting new applications for DACA.  They have yet to do so.

Let’s be clear, this Administration is in open defiance of the Supreme Court.  SCOTUS rejected the repeal of DACA.  That means DACA must return to its original status and the Trump Administration must reopen the program.  And they must do so immediately.

The stakes are too high—both for the rule of law and the lives of Dreamers—to ignore this.  Republicans and Democrats in Congress must come together to compel the President to immediately comply with the Supreme Court's mandate. 

More than 200,000 DACA recipients are “essential critical infrastructure workers” in this COVID-19 pandemic.  More than 41,000 of them are health care workers—nurses, doctors, paramedics, respiratory therapists, and more.  Can you imagine where we would be without them?

As long as I am a United States Senator, I will continue to fight for Dreamers.  We cannot allow this President to openly defy the Supreme Court of the United States.  We must protect DACA. We must uphold the rule of law.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)