Richard Durbin

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in 1958, recently married Genie Zavaleta went on assignment with the Migrant Ministry with her husband Hector. They traveled the country to support Mexican migrant workers. Genie was a child of the Great Depression, and she knew when people needed help. What was supposed to be a 1-year stint became a lifetime of helping people in need. Last month, Genie passed away at the age of 92. She was known as the grandmother of the Dreamers. She was a longtime champion and mentor to undocumented youth in Arizona and a fierce advocate for the Dream Act. Genie also was my ally in defending the Dreamers. In 1965, Genie and Hector moved to Arizona permanently with their two sons, Dan and David. Arizona was a transforming State, and the influx of migrant workers attracted Genie. She became the first director of education at Planned Parenthood of Phoenix, teaching classes on poverty and across the county. She taught classes at Phoenix College and Arizona State University too. She worked with the Maricopa County Health Department for 15 years until her retirement in 1989. Genie's retirement was not close to the end of her story. She moved into full-time advocacy for immigrants. For more than a decade, my staff and I worked with her on behalf of Dreamers. She saved countless Dreamers from being deported. Genie had my office on speed dial. She frequently alerted us to Dreamers at the risk of deportation. She shared stories of Dreamers that I told on the Senate floor. In 2011, I organized the Dream Sabbath, a gathering of faith communities around the country to put a human face on the plight of undocumented students. An event about the Dream Act would never be complete without Genie's participation, so of course, she helped organize Arizona's Dream Sabbath. Genie did not seek fanfare. She quietly became one of Arizona's most influential immigration activists. She did not want fame. It was about the Dreamers. On the lawn of her home in Arizona, there once were signs covering the whole area for the causes she supported. Today, the house is quiet, and the lawn is empty except one sign, a stars-and-stripes one with ``In our America, all people are equal'' at the top. We will keep fighting on Genie's behalf until the Dream Act is the law of the land. Genie Zavaleta is survived by her husband Hector, her sons Dan and David, and their wives Nori and Linda. On behalf of the hundreds of people she helped, Loretta and I send our sincere condolences. (At the request of Mr. Thune, the following statement was ordered to be printed in the Record.)

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker), the Senator from New York (Mrs. Gillibrand), the Senator from California (Ms. Harris), and the Senator from Minnesota (Ms. Klobuchar) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from Colorado (Mr. Bennet) and the Senator from New Jersey (Mr. Booker) are necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, in 1962, the airline Alitalia sent a young man named Dominic DiFrisco to Chicago to help with publicity for its inaugural flight between the city and Rome. What was a temporary assignment became a life decision for my friend Dominic. He found a home in Chicago and, in the decades following, became a champion for Chicago's Italian community. On Sunday, he passed away at the age of 85 after a life of celebration, stories, and love. There are so many stories of Dominic helping people that they are too numerous to count here. If you grew up in Chicago, you knew Dominic. For decades, Dominic was the most recognized and vocal supporter of Italian Americans. Dominic was born in 1933 in the Bronx of New York City to Leoluca and Antonina, immigrants from Sicily. He graduated from Fordham University in 1955 and began his career in public relations. His career was defined by building bridges between the public and private sectors. His color commentary, with his vast knowledge of Chicago-Italian history, was a staple during the broadcast of Columbus Day parades. He helped make sure other ethnic groups and Jewish Holocaust victims had roles in the Chicago Columbus Day parade. He was a man of stories. He always had one for any situation, and Columbus Day will not be the same without him. If you travel a few blocks north of Taylor Street's Little Italy in Chicago, you will find Our Lady of Pompeii, the oldest surviving Italian-American Catholic Church in Chicago. It has been an anchor to the community since 1910, but in 1993, the archdiocese announced it would close Our Lady of Pompeii. That didn't sit well with the locals, especially Dominic. He joined the effort to resurrect the church, which continues to serve the community today. Our Lady of Pompeii calls him a founding father. Dominic was president emeritus of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, and he created and hosted the annual Dante Awards. More than 40 journalists have won Dante Awards for their work answering Dante Alighieri's call to be ``no timid friend to truth.'' Dominic was no timid friend to anyone he knew. Dominic was a great friend. He was always helping people whether it was a smile, a kind word, or his latest recommendation for an Italian restaurant. His stories were legendary, but his whole life was an extraordinary story. A few years ago, Dominic accepted my invitation to attend a joint session of Congress featuring the Prime Minister of Italy. It is fair to say that many of those in the Capitol that day were as impressed with Dominic's passion for life, his stories, and his hopefulness for the U.S.-Italian relationship as the speech itself. In a Chicago restaurant called Gene and Georgetti's, there is a table that was Dominic's. It was his court, and now, sadly, it is quiet. To his wife Carol and the DiFrisco family, Loretta and I send our sincere condolences.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. I announce that the Senator from California (Ms. Harris) is necessarily absent.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Mr. DURBIN

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.