Political Quotes

On the recordOctober 17, 2019
in reserving the right to object, I would say the following: I have been on the floor of the Senate more often than any other Senator to ask for immigration reform. Our system is broken. As we debate this important issue, the Galleries are filled with people who are following this debate personally because it literally affects their lives and their families and their futures. This Senator has been willing to move forward on comprehensive immigration reform. Sadly, the Senator on the other side has not supported that. I hope he will consider doing it. In the meantime, though, what are we going to do about the current issue of an annual quota of no more than 140,000 EB immigrant visas and more than 500,000 applicants of Indian descent who are asking for permission to move forward with EB-2 green cards and their lives? What the Senator from Utah has suggested is that we shouldn't increase the 140,000 annual cap. I think that is wrong. If you follow Senator Lee's proposal and do exactly what he says--give these visas only to those who are waiting in line who are of Indian descent and give no visas to the rest of the world--in 10 years, there will still be over 165,000 people of Indian descent waiting in line, and the rest of the world will have been excluded. This is unfair. It doesn't make sense.…
Said by
Dick Durbin
Democratic · Illinois
Source
govinfo.gov
Oct 17, 2019

Share

More from Dick Durbin

Aug 26, 2026

I can’t wait to see all the good that happens here.

durbin.senate.gov
Aug 21, 2026

In the coming weeks, we remain committed to supporting our union members during this transition and working with Tyson to ensure that they have access to resources that support their return to work.

durbin.senate.gov
Aug 19, 2026

We always work closely with the leaders in local government regardless of their party affiliation.

durbin.senate.gov
Aug 18, 2026

I’m glad these borrowers, after years and years of waiting, will finally get the relief they’re entitled to.

durbin.senate.gov

Other voices in this conversation