Senator says he’s close to getting votes to advance DREAM Act
“I’ve been stopped by the filibuster five times from passing it. I had a majority, I didn’t have 60 votes. Do I have 60 now? I think I’m close,” the Illinois Democrat told CNN’s Dana Bash on “State of the Union” Sunday.
Durbin, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, said he plans to sit down with Republican members and ask if they would consider supporting the DREAM Act, which would allow the young undocumented immigrants known as “Dreamers” permanent residency — and potentially citizenship.
“I think I’ll have some support. Whether it’s enough remains to be seen,” he said.
Durbin previously told CNN that he doesn’t believe there’s enough support in this Congress to pass a comprehensive immigration bill that would overhaul the US immigration system and provide a road map to citizenship for the country’s 11 million undocumented immigrants.
On Sunday, Durbin said he supports President Joe Biden’s immigration plan, the Citizenship Act of 2021, and called it “long overdue” but reiterated his belief that it would be difficult to pass in the 50-50 partisan split Senate.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
