Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA)

Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Susan Collins (R-ME), and Jim Risch (R-ID) introduced the Religious Workforce Protection Act, bipartisan legislation to allow religious workers already present in the U.S. on temporary R-1 status with pending EB-4 applications to stay in the U.S. while waiting for permanent residency. Representatives Mike Carey (R-OH-15) and Richard Neal (D-MA-1) today introduced an identical companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. Under current law, religious workers in R-1 nonimmigrant status are limited to five years in the U.S.  After five years, these religious workers must return to their home countries for at least one year before they can come back to the U.S., costing churches, mosques, synagogues, and other religious organizations the beloved religious workers on whom their congregations, and the local communities that they serve, have grown to depend. The Religious Workforce Protection Act would provide a targeted fix to this problem by granting the DHS Secretary the authority to extend temporary R-1 nonimmigrant status for religious workers past five years until they receive a decision on their permanent residence application.

Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Jim Risch

Senators: “When the Administration makes a mistake as severe as sending an individual with protected status to a foreign prison, it cannot simply shrug off responsibility and allege that there is nothing it can do to reunite him with his wife and child, who are American citizens.”

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Gary Peters, Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. Ron Wyden

"U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined 18 of her colleagues in urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to reconsider the Trump Administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Venezuelans who applied for TPS under its designation in 2023. The Administration’s decision to revoke this critical protection has been temporarily put on hold by a court order, postponing the harm it will cause to approximately 350,000 people who remain at risk of losing TPS."

Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Andy Kim, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Peter Welch

This week Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) joined Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Edward J. Markey (D-MA), and over 30 lawmakers in writing to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Acting Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Todd Lyons, demanding information about the arrest and detention of Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk and similar incidents across the country.

“The Administration should not summarily detain and deport legal residents of this country merely for expressing their political views. Absent compelling evidence justifying her detention and the revocation of her status, we call for Ozturk’s release and the restoration of her visa,” wrote the lawmakers. 

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Rep. Don Beyer, Rep. André Carson, Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Katherine Clark, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Rep. Hank Johnson, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Andy Kim, Rep. Summer Lee, Rep. Stephen Lynch, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. LaMonica McIver, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Delia Ramirez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Tina Smith, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Jill Tokuda, Rep. Lori Trahan, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Sen. Peter Welch

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and U.S. Representative Glenn Ivey (D-Md.) sent a bicameral letter with over 30 of their colleagues to President Donald Trump urging the Administration to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Cameroonians living legally in the United States, as ongoing violence, instability, and humanitarian crises continue to pose a grave threat to anyone returning to Cameroon. In their letter, the lawmakers highlight that extending and redesignating these protections for Cameroonians already in the U.S. advances American interests in supporting counterterrorism efforts and strengthening our economy.

Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. André Carson, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Rep. Yvette Clarke, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Rep. Lois Frankel, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Glenn Ivey, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Hank Johnson, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Gwen Moore, Rep. Seth Moulton, Sen. Patty Murray, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Paul Tonko, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Juan Vargas, Rep. Marc Veasey, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Peter Welch

Senators to Secretaries Rubio and Noem: “These actions undermine America’s longstanding commitment to humanitarian protection and place thousands of vulnerable individuals—many of whom served alongside U.S. armed forces—at grave risk”

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) joined Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Constitution Subcommittee, and 17 Senators in condemning the dismantling of the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), including a funding freeze that has halted refugee processing and resettlement. The indefinite refugee ban and funding freeze have stranded tens of thousands in dangerous conditions, separated families, and left recently resettled refugees in the United States without the legally required support.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Andy Kim, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Peter Welch

"U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined 64 House and Senate Democrats in urging Attorney General Pam Bondi to reverse the Executive Office for Immigration Review’s (EOIR) alarming decision to fire immigration judges even as the immigration courts currently face a staggering backlog of immigration cases. In February, EOIR abruptly fired 20 immigration judges, removed all nine Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) judges appointed during the Biden Administration, and terminated four individuals in senior EOIR leadership positions, with indications they may remove even more judges."

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, Rep. Becca Balint, Rep. Sanford Bishop, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Rep. Sean Casten, Rep. Gerry Connolly, Rep. Lou Correa, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Rep. Warren Davidson, Rep. Danny Davis, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, Rep. Chuy García, Rep. Dan Goldman, Rep. Jahana Hayes, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Jared Huffman, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Hank Johnson, Sen. Tim Kaine, Rep. Ro Khanna, Sen. Andy Kim, Sen. Angus King, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, Rep. George Latimer, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Rep. Stephen Lynch, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. Grace Meng, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Patty Murray, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Rep. Deborah Ross, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Rep. Melanie Stansbury, Rep. Tom Suozzi, Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. Jill Tokuda, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rep. Maxine Waters, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

“Absent evidence that Petrova is a flight risk or a danger to the community, we strongly urge you to reconsider ICE’s recent decision not to grant Petrova parole and exercise discretion within your authority to release her from detention while her asylum case is pending.”

“We urge the Administration to ensure full due process in her case and take all appropriate and necessary measures to ensure she is not deported to Russia.”

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Senators to Trump: “There is simply no basis for reinstating this cruel, ineffective, and costly practice, particularly when there are effective solutions that, unlike family detention, do not permanently damage children’s health and well-being”

Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Jon Ossoff, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Ron Wyden

Today, Rep. Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) led 62 of their colleagues in the House and 23 of their colleagues in the Senate in a letter to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding the Trump Administration redesignate and extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, which the administration recently canceled on questionable legal authority

Rep. Alma Adams, Rep. Gabe Amo, Rep. Joyce Beatty, Rep. Don Beyer, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. André Carson, Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Kathy Castor, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Rep. Judy Chu, Rep. Katherine Clark, Rep. Yvette Clarke, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Rep. Danny Davis, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Maxwell Frost, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, Rep. Chuy García, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Dan Goldman, Rep. Jahana Hayes, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Rep. Sara Jacobs, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Hank Johnson, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Andy Kim, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Rep. George Latimer, Rep. Summer Lee, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Rep. Stephen Lynch, Rep. Seth Magaziner, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Jennifer McClellan, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. LaMonica McIver, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Kweisi Mfume, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Sen. Alex Padilla, Rep. Frank Pallone, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Rep. Mark Pocan, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Mike Quigley, Rep. Delia Ramirez, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Rep. Bobby Scott, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Rep. Tom Suozzi, Rep. Eric Swalwell, Rep. Shri Thanedar, Rep. Bennie Thompson, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Paul Tonko, Rep. Lori Trahan, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Juan Vargas, Rep. Marc Veasey, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rep. Maxine Waters, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Rep. Frederica Wilson

"U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Vice Chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, led 13 of their Democratic colleagues in demanding that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) uphold the United States’ trust and treaty responsibility with Tribal nations and their citizens by ending wrongful searches and interrogations of Tribal members."

Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Ron Wyden

“The murder of Laken Riley is a tragedy. I voted yes to debate the Laken Riley Act because Americans deserve commonsense steps to prevent something like this from happening again. As it was originally written, the Laken Riley Act would burden law enforcement officers and make it more difficult for them to keep the individuals who pose the greatest threat to our communities off the streets. I introduced an amendment to address these concerns and improve the bill, but it was not given a vote on the Senate floor. I do not believe that the final bill we are voting on will ultimately make our communities safer because it will divert resources away from those who pose serious and immediate threats. I will vote no on final passage.”

Sen. Tim Kaine

“The constitutional basis for birthright citizenship is crystal clear. Donald Trump has no legal basis for unilaterally rewriting our Constitution to revoke this right and deny Americans’ citizenship. He should expect swift legal challenges to this order.”

Sen. Tim Kaine

" Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) co-sponsored an amendment to strengthen the Laken Riley Act. The amendment, introduced by Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), would preserve the intent of the Laken Riley Act: to implement policies that would have prevented Laken Riley’s death while strengthening law enforcement’s ability to keep communities safe from dangerous criminals."

Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Raphael Warnock

Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA), Michael Bennet (D-CO), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Angus I. King (I-ME), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Peter Welch (D-VT) unveiled an amendment to weaken the Laken Riley Act by limiting its application to those over 16.

Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Peter Welch

"U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) have urged the Biden administration to immediately re-designate or extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to the maximum extent allowable under the law for all eligible countries. The senators commended President Biden’s recent action to extend status for El Salvador, Venezuela, Sudan, and Ukraine, while stressing the need to extend these benefits to all remaining eligible TPS countries as the current administration winds down."

Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Mark Warner

"U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), alongside a bipartisan group of their colleagues, have written to the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to release the maximum allowable number of additional H-2B visas for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025."

Sen. John Barrasso, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Maria Cantwell, Sen. Ben Cardin, Sen. Tom Carper, Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. John Cornyn, Sen. Kevin Cramer, Sen. Mike Crapo, Sen. John Fetterman, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Maggie Hassan, Sen. George S. Helmy, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Cynthia Lummis, Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Jerry Moran, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Sen. Pete Ricketts, Sen. Jim Risch, Sen. Mike Rounds, Sen. Tim Scott, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, Sen. Tina Smith, Sen. Dan Sullivan, Sen. John Thune, Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Mark Warner, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Ron Wyden

"U.S. Senators Ben Cardin and Van Hollen (both D-Md.), along with more than a dozen other senators, wrote to President Joe Biden requesting that his administration “provide temporary humanitarian protections for Guatemalan nationals living in the United States.” The letter asks for the president to designate Temporary Protected Status for Guatemala or authorize Deferred Enforced Departure for Guatemalan nationals."

Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Ben Cardin, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Tim Kaine, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Chris Murphy, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Jack Reed, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Mark Warner