Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT)

"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

Today, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), and Peter Welch (D-VT) issued the following statement after President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, claiming wartime power to deport noncitizens without due process:

“Over the weekend, President Trump invoked the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to deport noncitizens without due process. This attempt to use an archaic wartime law—not used since World War II—forimmigration enforcement is yet another unlawful and brazen power grab.

Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Peter Welch

U.S. Senators Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) led 30 of their colleagues in sending a letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, demanding that the Trump Administration continue legal services for unaccompanied children caught up in the immigration system as required by law. Last month, the Trump Administration issued a stop work order to organizations that provide legal services for unaccompanied children. Later that week, following public pressure, the order was rescinded. In 2023, Senator Hirono reintroduced the Fair Day in Court for Kids Act, legislation to provide unaccompanied children with access to legal representation when they appear in proceedings before an immigration judge.

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Mark Kelly, Sen. Andy Kim, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Jon Ossoff, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Gary Peters, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. Ron Wyden

"Today, Sens. Ossoff and Mazie Hirono (D-HI) led a group of 32 Senators demanding that Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum continue legal services for unaccompanied children caught up in the immigration system as required by law."

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. John Hickenlooper, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Mark Kelly, Sen. Andy Kim, Sen. Angus King, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Ed Markey, Sen. Jeff Merkley, Sen. Jon Ossoff, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Gary Peters, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Raphael Warnock, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Sen. Ron Wyden

"U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, led all Senate Judiciary Committee Democrats in pressing Attorney General Pam Bondi on her reallocation of resources from mission-critical Department of Justice (DOJ) projects to purported “immigration enforcement initiatives."

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Chris Coons, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Adam Schiff, Sen. Peter Welch, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

“These actions are unprecedented, unlawful, and harmful to American national security, values, and interests. The United States has never sent anyone from the United States to be detained at Guantánamo before now,” wrote the Senators. “… There is no basis in U.S. immigration law for transferring noncitizens arrested inside the United States to a location outside of the United States for detention prior to or for the purposes of conducting removal proceedings.”

Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Chris Murphy, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Peter Welch

"Today, U.S. Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) led nine of her colleagues in introducing the Born in the USA Act to effectively block the implementation of President Trump’s unconstitutional Executive Order attempting to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States. This bill would prevent any government funds from being used to carry out or enforce this directive, which violates the U.S. Constitution. Senator Rosen was one of the first Congressional leaders to come out forcefully against the President’s birthright citizenship Executive Order. Federal courts have temporarily blocked the order’s implementation, but the Trump Administration is expected to appeal."

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Alex Padilla, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Sen. Brian Schatz, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Sen. Peter Welch

"U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) released the following statement on President Trump’s Executive Orders, signed within hours of taking office, to end refugee resettlement, birthright citizenship, and humanitarian parole; reinstate the Muslim travel ban and ‘Remain in Mexico’ policies; and freeze the United States’ asylum process, which conflicts with international humanitarian law: 

“President Trump’s Executive Orders set the tone for the policies of his second term: cruel, draconian, and for some, unconstitutional. We will fight this through the legislative process and in the courts.”

Sen. Peter Welch

Sen. Welch continued: “Another issue is labor on the farm—we can’t milk our cows. Literally can’t milk our cows without immigrant labor. And I’m for a secure border, I think all of us here are, but I’m also for legal immigration. And that is a real challenge for our dairy farmers. I want to make sure that whatever we do to secure the border doesn’t deprive our hardworking dairy farms and farmers access to the labor that they absolutely depend on…So, we will work together on that? And you appreciate the importance of having access to that labor for our dairy farms and others as well?” 

Ms. Rollins: “I know there is great concern amongst our ag community on what immigration under President Trump will look like. My commitment to you is this: that understanding the data and understanding the impact of those in the ag community—dairy farms I think especially are concerned—but everybody is…I know these cows need to be milked 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it doesn’t go away. If there’s no one to milk them, that’s big trouble.” 

Sen. Peter Welch

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. Representative Juan Vargas (CA-52) joined U.S. Representatives Delia Ramirez (IL-03) and Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07) and Senators Peter Welch (D-VT), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) in introducing the CBP Guidance on Personal Belongings Act. This legislation would require the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop guidance to better ensure the respectful handling of personal property of individuals who are in CBP custody."

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Rep. Delia Ramirez, Rep. Juan Vargas, Sen. Peter Welch

"U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-VT) and U.S. Representatives Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03) and Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ-07) in introducing the CBP Guidance on Personal Belongings Act, bicameral legislation to require the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to develop guidance for the handling of personal property of individuals arrested, restrained, or confined by the Agency."

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Sen. Dick Durbin, Sen. Peter Welch

"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 Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), along with Representatives Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.) and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), led a bicameral letter signed by 70 lawmakers to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou, urging the elimination of the lengthy application backlog for work permits (or “employment authorization documents,” EADs) before the end of the year. 1.4 million EAD applications currently await processing, including roughly 900,000 first-time applicants and 500,000 people seeking renewals."

Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Rep. Nanette Barragán, Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Sen. Cory Booker, Rep. Cori Bush, Rep. Salud Carbajal, Rep. Greg Casar, Rep. Sean Casten, Rep. Joaquin Castro, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Rep. Yvette Clarke, Rep. Gerry Connolly, Rep. Joe Courtney, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Rep. Jason Crow, Rep. Diana DeGette, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, Rep. Veronica Escobar, Rep. Anna Eshoo, Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Rep. Maxwell Frost, Rep. John Garamendi, Rep. Robert Garcia, Rep. Sylvia Garcia, Rep. Chuy García, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Rep. Dan Goldman, Rep. Raúl Grijalva, Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Jonathan Jackson, Rep. Hank Johnson, Rep. Ro Khanna, Rep. Barbara Lee, Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, Rep. Zoe Lofgren, Sen. Ben Ray Luján, Sen. Ed Markey, Rep. Betty McCollum, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. Grace Meng, Rep. Seth Moulton, Rep. Joe Neguse, Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, Rep. Brittany Pettersen, Rep. Chellie Pingree, Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Mike Quigley, Rep. Delia Ramirez, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Sen. Jacky Rosen, Rep. Andrea Salinas, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, Rep. Terri Sewell, Rep. Adam Smith, Sen. Tina Smith, Rep. Darren Soto, Rep. Mark Takano, Rep. Shri Thanedar, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, Rep. Paul Tonko, Rep. Lori Trahan, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, Rep. Marc Veasey, Rep. Nydia Velázquez, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sen. Peter Welch, Rep. Nikema Williams, Rep. Frederica Wilson, Sen. Ron Wyden