{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-passing-the-dream-act-by-the-end-of-the-year-is-a-matter-of-justice-and-fairness", "Durbin: Passing The Dream Act By The End Of The Year Is a Matter Of Justice And Fairness", "2017-12-06", "2017", "2017-12", "Democrat", "House", "IL", "Richard Durbin", "D000563", "www.durbin.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "12.06.17\n\t\t\t Durbin: Passing The Dream Act By The End Of The Year Is a Matter Of Justice And Fairness \n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tWASHINGTON\u2014Three months after the Trump Administration\u2019s September 5th announcement that it will rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) again came to the Senate floor to call on Republican leaders in Congress to pass the bipartisan Dream Act before the end of the year.\u00a0 More than 10,000 Dreamers have already lost their DACA status, and beginning early next year, 1,000 additional young people will lose this protection each day.\r\nDuring his speech, Durbin shared the story of one Dreamer \u2013 Yuriana Aguilar, who was five years old when her family brought her to the United States from Mexico.\u00a0 She is a research scientist specializing in cardiac health at Rush Medical Center in Chicago.\u00a0 Yuriana is the 99th Dreamer whose story Durbin has told on the Senate floor over the years.\u00a0 Other Dreamer stories are available here.\r\n\u201cDon\u2019t we want someone like Yuriana to stay in this country?\u00a0 Of course we do!\u00a0 She\u2019s a pretty determined young woman, and her determination does not only mean she has an opportunity for a great life, it\u2019s the opportunity to make the lives of so many of us better,\u201d said Durbin.\u00a0 \u201cIf we make the Dream Act the law of the land, young people like Yuriana can prove to work their way into legal status, work their way into citizenship, and become a valuable part of America\u2019s future.\u00a0 Let\u2019s roll up our sleeves and do what we were sent to do, solve problems, pass laws, make sure that we set the stage for America to be a better nation in years to come.\u201d\u00a0\r\nVideo of Durbin\u2019s remarks on the Senate floor are available here.\r\nAudio of Durbin\u2019s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.\r\nFootage of Durbin\u2019s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.\r\nYuriana Aguilar grew up near Fresno, California and she was an excellent student.\u00a0 She was in the top one percent of her high-school class and graduated as the valedictorian.\u00a0 She was a member of her high school\u2019s JROTC (Junior Reserves Officers\u2019 Training Corps) unit.\u00a0 And she volunteered at retirement homes and with a group called Tree Fresno, which plants trees and builds playgrounds in the community.\u00a0 Yuriana was accepted to, and attended University of California Merced, where she majored in Biological Sciences.\u00a0 She made the Dean\u2019s List every semester, and was on the Chancellor\u2019s Honors List.\u00a0\u00a0 She conducted research in marine biology, as well as atherosclerosis - the build-up of fat, cholesterol, and other substances in arteries.\u00a0 And she continued her community service. Yuriana volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club, with a local hospital, and with her church\u2019s Sunday School program.\u00a0\u00a0\r\nCurrently, Yuriana is a postdoctoral fellow and instructor in the Rush Medical College Department of Physiology & Biophysics.\u00a0 She examines cardiac functioning on the cellular level.\u00a0 Yuriana\u2019s studying proteins that regulate calcium signaling, which is critical for contraction and electrical functions in the heart.\u00a0 Seeing how this process works in a normal heart can help her detect differences in an unhealthy one.\u00a0 Yuriana has a work permit thanks to DACA, but it will expire in one year if DACA ends.\r\nIn July, Durbin and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) introduced the bipartisan Dream Act, which would allow immigrant students who grew up in the United States to earn lawful permanent residence and eventually American citizenship. These young people, known as Dreamers, have lived in America since they were children, built their lives here, and are American in every way except for their immigration status.\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t  \n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t \n\t\t\n\t\t\tPrint\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tEmail\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tTweet\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t \n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n    \n   \n    \n    \t\n    \t\n\t    \t  \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tPrevious Article\n\t\t    \n\t\t    \n\t\t    \tNext Article", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.durbin.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/durbin-passing-the-dream-act-by-the-end-of-the-year-is-a-matter-of-justice-and-fairness"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6102949157357216, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}