“And there are those who are undocumented who want the chance to serve and risk their lives for this country. Should we give them a chance? I think we should.”
The following is a press release from the office of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), December 4th:
In a speech on the Senate floor, U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today called on his Republican colleagues to work with Democrats on comprehensive immigration reform that will help secure America’s border and address our nation’s shortage of workers. During his speech, Durbin condemned Republicans’ attempt to attach punitive border policies to essential national security emergency funds for Ukraine, Israel, the Indo-Pacific, and humanitarian crises.
“I’m a person who believes in immigration. My mother was an immigrant to this country, and I’m proud to be in the Senate [as a] first-generation American representing the great state of Illinois. But I understand the overwhelming numbers [that] we are facing at the border, and President Biden is facing—[I would] really argue for us to take a hard look at the way we approach this,” Durbin said. “It’s hard to explain [that] in the United States of America, a nation of immigrants, why immigration is such a hot, controversial topic.”
Durbin noted that the U.S. military is experiencing low levels of recruitment, which have become a grave threat to our national security. Durbin argued in his speech that we are also in desperate need of workers to fill key jobs in industries like health care and agriculture, which can be filled by immigrants.
Do you know what the recruiting numbers are at the Army, Navy, and the Air Force? They can’t reach their quotas each month. They can’t find enough people to join our military forces. And there are those who are undocumented who want the chance to serve and risk their lives for this country. Should we give them a chance? I think we should.
In my state of Illinois, in Chicago, [and] in the rural areas downstate, we’re holding our breath hoping that we can keep hospitals open. You know why? We don’t have enough medical personnel. And yet there are people all around this world who have medical credentials as doctors and nurses and skilled technicians who want to come to the United States, but we don’t give them the chance.
Durbin continued
Durbin also told the story of Mitchell Soto-Rodriguez, a Dreamer, who came to Blue Island, Illinois, at nine-years-old with her family. When Mitchell was in high school, she got into a car accident and the responding police officer made a lasting impression on her by speaking Spanish to make her mother feel more comfortable. From that moment on, Mitchell decided that she wanted to serve her community as a police officer as well. Today, Mitchell is a part-time police officer while she is attending the police academy and working as a security officer at a local high school. However, as a DACA recipient, Mitchell’s future is still in limbo. Until theDream Act is passed, Mitchell’s service to her community and to our nation is at risk…
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE… (winepressnews.com)
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