October 04, 2023

Duckworth, Durbin Meet with Illinois Speaker of the House

 

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today met with Illinois Speaker of the House Emanuel “Chris” Welch to discuss Illinois’ humanitarian response to the arrival of more than 15,000 migrants.  During their meeting, Duckworth, Durbin and Speaker Welch spoke about the need for the Biden Administration to offer critical support to Illinois as it responds to migrants arriving in the state.  Duckworth and Durbin reaffirmed their commitment to working with their state partners, including Speaker Welch, to ensure that the federal government offers adequate funding and resources to the state. A photo of the meeting is available here.

“I was glad to meet with Speaker Welch today to discuss continued coordinated efforts to support the immediate needs of asylum-seekers being bussed by right-wing politicians to Illinois,” said Duckworth. “Illinois is doing and will continue to do the best it can, because it is our duty to treat all people with compassion and dignity. I’ll keep working with Speaker Welch, Senator Durbin and officials at every level of government to help ensure our state gets needed resources to help migrant families.”

“Our government is at its best when every level of government works together.  I’m grateful to have a hardworking partner like Speaker Welch in the state government who is similarly dedicated to delivering for the people of Illinois,” said Durbin.  “We had a productive discussion about how we can best support migrants starting their new lives in Illinois.”

“For more than a year, we have witnessed Republican governors and mayors use people in crisis as political pawns by shipping them to states like Illinois.  This has put tremendous strain on our communities, especially Chicago, but Illinoisans are compassionate and we will always welcome those in need,” said Welch.  “For us to continue providing meaningful aid to these families, we need more help from the federal government.  I was grateful to meet with Senators Durbin and Duckworth to discuss how we can better address this humanitarian crisis and help these migrants begin a new life in the great state of Illinois.”

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