Corruption in IL? Why, I’m shocked.
With Durbin harboring illegals, this doesn’t surprise me.
From the Libray of Congress, June 28, 2007, Durbin talking on the Senate floor about amnesty.
Congressional Record article 29 of 71
Among the people now whose lives are going to be left in uncertainty is a mother I know and know very well. Her husband was one of those lucky ones. He was a citizen from Mexico. In 1986, he was given amnesty by President Reagan. He works 14-hour days in a club in Chicago as a maitre’d, greeting people, bringing them to their tables. He and his wife have four children who are all American citizens. They were all born here. But his wife is undocumented. Several years ago, she was deported, 3 days before Mother’s Day, back to Mexico. She was pregnant at the time and wanted to stay in the United States with her doctor until the baby was born but wasn’t allowed. Eventually, I called the State Department. They gave her a humanitarian visa to come back to the United States. Now once each year I make a phone call to ask if she can stay with her family for another year. Luckily, she has been able to stay on what they call a humanitarian waiver. But she and her children never know from year to year whether mom is going to be deported to Mexico. Will it make America better if she leaves? Will it make that family better? I don’t think so. This is clearly a case where this great Nation can certainly absorb a loving mother who wants to make sure her kids have a good life.
There is another girl—she is now a young woman—I know from Chicago. She is Korean. She was an amazing young lady who had great musical talent. She was accepted at Juilliard School of Music, but when she applied she learned from her mother that when she was brought from Korea to the United States at the age of 2, no papers were filed. She had no status. She wasn’t a citizen of anyplace. She called our office and said: ``What should I do?’’ We checked, and we were told she had to go back to Korea. She had not been there since she was 2 years old. Her life is a life of uncertainty now. Where is she going to go? This is the only country she has ever known. She wants to use her musical talents right here in America, a place she calls home.
Then there is an attorney in the Loop in Chicago, a nice, attractive, young woman who graduated from law school. I met her at a gathering. She asked if I could talk to her afterward. She came up to me and said: ``I have to talk to you in private. It is about my mom. My mom is Polish. She came to Chicago to visit some relatives years ago, overstayed her visa. She is not here legally. She got married, had a family. She lives in constant fear that she is going to be deported away from her children and grandchildren. What are we going to do, Senator?’’
There will be no answer to these cases until we have a law that creates a mechanism, a formula, and a process that is reasonable. We tried to do that today without success. We can’t give up. We can’t give up on these cases, and we can’t give up on this issue.