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Months after Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin took office, one of America’s most over-hauling immigration reform bills, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, became effective.
Some claim that it laid the groundwork for the massive deportation machine that exists today–a machinery that, according to Vox, took the US from deporting 70,000 immigrants in 1996 to 400,000 a year through the first term of the Obama administration. Senator Durbin recognizes the danger of “tough-on-immigration” legislation, and spoke with Politicking co-founder Jordan Wilson in an exclusive interview on Tuesday about his advocacy for immigration reform, police accountability, and civil rights.
Read More: Supreme Court rejects end to protections for young immigrants
“I introduced something called the Dream Act 20 years ago”, the Durbin revealed after recalling an experience in which he met a young Korean-born woman, who had been raised in America since the age of 2 and deported at age 17 due to her non-naturalized status. “One of my colleagues in the Senate went on to be president [Barack Obama], so I wrote him a letter asking, ‘Can you, by executive order, help these DREAMers?’ He went on and created something called DACA as a result of it.”
After assuming office, President Donald Trump initially repealed the policy. In June, however, the U.S. Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the program, which has, according to NPR, protected 700,000 DREAMers from deportation.
According to Durbin, “Justice [John] Roberts recognized that he [Trump] didn’t legally eliminate the program so there is a breath of life and possibility [for reform]..but I’ve been at this for 20 years!”
While he pioneered a major contribution to contemporary immigration reform policy, Durbin’s passion for advocacy also extends to civil rights and police reform. He recognized widespread calls to dismantle policing and is a supporter of Senator Kamala Harris and Senator Cory Booker’s Justice in Policing Act. According to the Senator, measures such as banning chokeholds, establishing a national police registry, and licensing are needed and obvious.
Durbin also acknowledged the power of the Black Lives Matter movement, noting that, “It has become a symbol of, ‘Where are you in America?’”
When asked about the stakes for participating in this year’s election, Durbin argued that progress on critical issues, like climate change, civil rights, police reform and immigration, are likely threatened if Americans “don’t elect a president who will do something good about them.”
Read More: Trump administration extends visa ban to non-immigrants
Optimistically, Durbin believes that young people will continue to lead a positive, cultural shift in America.
“[Voting] is where the voices of young people can make a dramatic difference,” he concluded.
Jordan Wilson is the Co-Founder and Chief Political Officer of Politicking. Through Politicking, she aims to promote voting and political engagement among young Americans by providing a mobile platform for non-partisan election news and data. She is currently pursuing her J.D. at Boston College Law School, where she serves as a Fellow with the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy. Jordan holds a B.A. in Political Science from Howard University.
About Politicking
Politicking was created by Wen-kuni Céant and Jordan Wilson, two Howard University graduates determined to increase voter participation among millennials. Following the 2016 presidential election, Céant and Wilson, wanted desperately to change apathetic attitudes about politics. Their solution was to create Politicking, an app that would serve to engage today’s disengaged constituencies.
To learn more about Politicking visit: www.politickingapp.com
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