first let me thank Senator Graham, Senator McCain, Senator Rubio, Senator Flake, and on our side Senator Schumer, Senator Menendez, and my friend Senator Bennet. The eight of us came together to create a bill, and in the end we did a lot more--we created a bond of friendship and trust and a life experience that none of us will ever forget. Each of us brought our special pleadings to this negotiation. I argued for the protection of refugees, American workers, access to immigration courts and counsel, reforming the flawed H-1B program, a path to citizenship that was a challenge but fair. But my colleagues knew from the start that there was one issue that was more important to me than any other. It was 12 years ago when I first introduced the DREAM Act. I did it for this young woman, Tereza Lee. They were about to deport her from Chicago back to Korea. She was 18 years old. She didn't know any other country but the United States. She had been accepted at the Manhattan conservatory of music. She was an outstanding pianist. And she was about to be deported. I thought that was wrong. I introduced the DREAM Act to help her, and it turns out, hundreds of thousands just like her. Incidentally, this story ends well. She finished her education, and she is now working on a Ph.D. in music. She played in Carnegie Hall. She married an American, and she is a citizen. Would America have been a better place if Tereza Lee had been deported? Of course not.…
Share
More from Dick Durbin
It is families who will suffer, especially the sickest Americans, like those with mental health and substance use disorders, cancer, and diabetes, who most urgently need the health care Medicaid provides.
Students need to be careful. You can’t go wrong starting with City Colleges and community colleges in your community… I beg my young students in Illinois to start there, and counselors to do their job and discourage kids from getting…
Investing in our airports is laying the foundation for increased connectivity and reliability.
Today’s news is devastating for the 2,500 skilled union workers impacted by the closure of the Tyson plant in Joslin, especially at a time when American families are struggling with the rising cost of living.





