SPRINGFIELD – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin says he sees Illinois and the nation at a crossroads – and that we’re not just facing questions about immigration enforcement or the future of Social Security – but about the strength of American democracy.
As we celebrate our semi quincentennial July 4, and as the Democratic senator prepares to leave office after more than four decades serving in Congress, Durbin reflected on some of the major issues confronting the state and the country from his vantage point in Washington, D.C.
Although Durbin’s tenure is ending, he pointed to his most recent Beltway battle – Social Security – as an arena where the Congress must act immediately. He recalled how he arrived in Washington in the early 1980s amid similar concerns about the program’s long-term financial viability.
“The fact of the matter is,” Durbin said, “it was under President Ronald Reagan, and a Democratic Congress that worked with that president, that we bought 50 years of solvency for social security from 1983 to 2033.”
Durbin says lawmakers now face another deadline as projections show the program could face shortfalls. "(Congress) needs to get off our duff and do something to fix Social Security," Durbin said.
The call to action comes after the Social Security Board of Trustees reported this week that the program's trust fund is projected to become insolvent in 2032, potentially triggering automatic benefit reductions if Congress fails to intervene.
In response, Durbin joined Republican Sens. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, along with Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, in urging lawmakers to begin debating reforms to preserve the program for future generations.
Durbin said the average Social Security benefit is about $2,500 per month and warned that many seniors rely on those payments as their primary source of income.
Durbin cautioned that a projected 22% reduction in benefits could leave retirees struggling to make ends meet, raising what he said are difficult questions for many seniors:
"Who's going to make that up? How am I going to get by?"
In a joint statement, the four senators said Congress "shouldn't delay any longer" in addressing the program's finances, calling on colleagues to "legislate on hard issues and protect this lifeline program for our kids and grandkids."
ICE and elections
Senator Durbin also told NPR Illinois about his concerns over the expansion of federal immigration enforcement – stressing concerns about recent arrests in downstate Illinois.
While Durbin says he supports removing individuals who pose public safety threats, he questioned whether immigration authorities are prioritizing dangerous offenders and expressed concern about the broader civil liberties implications.
“We've all heard the president's speech,” Durbin said. “He gives it over and over again. I can recite part of it. We've got to arrest the rapist murderers, terrorists, the child predators, and the criminally insane who managed to sneak across the border illegally and now terrorize our neighborhoods.”
"I don't want any dangerous person to come into this country,” Durbin said, “nor do I want a dangerous person to stay in this country. But in this situation, there's no indication of that at all."
Durbin also criticized what he described as increasing politicization within the U.S. Department of Justice, arguing that federal law enforcement should focus on national security and violent crime rather than what he sees as political disputes.
The senator requested a federal watchdog report on ICE that found severe violations at one of the country's largest immigration detention centers, including millions of dollars wasted, detainee health endangered, and the destruction or loss of evidence in a detainee death investigation. He called the report "damning."
"We now know even more details of how dangerous and irresponsible the Trump Administration's mass deportation campaign truly is," Durbin said in a news release. "Excessive use of force, lacking medical and mental health care, and wasted taxpayer dollars are emblematic of this mass deportation scheme."
"We now know even more details of how dangerous and irresponsible the Trump Administration's mass deportation campaign truly is," Durbin said in a news release.
In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security vowed upgrades and improvements to the troubled facility under a new contractor. The agency said "ICE is always looking at ways to improve our detention facilities to ensure we are providing the best care to illegal aliens in our custody."
Speaking to NPR Illinois, Durbin questioned Republicans' priorities. “The reality is what Congress has done in the last few weeks, and I voted against it, is to dramatically increase the appropriation for ICE and border patrol. To the point where we're spending more money for the masked militiamen of ICE to do their thing than on the United States Marine Corps.”
Last month, the Illinois General Assembly convened in a rare joint session to honor Durbin's nearly 40-plus years in Congress, a career that began in Springfield as a staffer and parliamentarian for then-Lt. Gov. Paul Simon, before following him to the U.S. House in 1982 and the Senate in 1996.
As Illinois prepares for its first open U.S. Senate race in nearly three decades, the retirement of the state's longest-serving senator will not only reshape Illinois politics but also mark the end of an era in Washington, where Durbin rose to become Senate Democratic Whip – the chamber's second-ranking Democrat and one of the most influential lawmakers in the country.
Durbin said stepping aside was not an easy decision.
"I'm gonna miss it, and that's a fact," he said.
But the longtime senator said his greatest concern now is protecting the right to vote, and as his retirement approaches, Durbin said he remains concerned about American democracy itself.
Durbin said he worries about interference in elections and fears that expanded immigration enforcement could discourage some eligible voters from registering or casting ballots.
The Trump Administration has counter-argued that immigration enforcement and election integrity efforts are intended to strengthen public safety and confidence in the system.
"I think the right to vote is absolutely critical to democracy in America," Durbin said. "I'm doing everything I can to make sure that everyone entitled and legally eligible to vote has an opportunity."
Durbin added the country's future will depend on the strength of the institutions that have endured throughout every generation.
