Durbin Statement On DOJ EOIR Board Of Immigration Appeals Decision On DACA

SPRINGFIELD - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and author of the Dream Act, released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) decision in the Matter of Santiago-Santiago that Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) will no longer necessarily protect DACA recipients from removal proceedings or deportation. Created in 2012, DACA protects qualified individuals who came to the United States as children from deportation.

"This decision could have profound consequences for the hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who rely on DACA to live and work in America without threat of deportation.

"In the face of this Administration's heartless actions, Congress must finally act to protect these young people who know no other home than here. This is a matter of simple American fairness and justice."

In March, Durbin and U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) led 39 of their Senate Democratic Caucus colleagues in a letter to then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow demanding DHS reduce the delays in processing renewal applications under the DACA program.

In February, Durbin called out DHS for wrongfully targeting and removing DACA recipients. According to DHS, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 261 DACA recipients and 86 have been removed from the country between January 1, 2025, and November 19, 2025.

Beginning in 2001, Durbin introduced the Dream Act to give young immigrants the chance to earn U.S. citizenship. He has introduced the legislation every Congress since. Over the years, Durbin has told the stories of 150 Dreamers on the Senate Floor. In 2012, Durbin worked with then-President Obama to establish the DACA program to allow these young people to gain temporary status. The most current available government data shows that the number of DACA holders has fallen from roughly 530,000 in September 2024 to roughly 515,000 in June 2025.

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