2020 Senate candidates already debating immigration issues

At a campus that serves many migrant families, including some who have violated U.S. immigration statutes, Sen. Dick Durbin argued they should be allowed to remain, as long as they've not committed other, serious crimes. 

"This is not about safety for our communities," Sen. Durbin said. "It's not even about the future of our economy. It's something else, something much, much darker."

Sen. Durbin's newest Republican challenger, though, has very different ideas. 

Tom Tarter would reduce the number eligible for asylum, grant preference to highly-skilled immigrants and would amend the constitution to abolish birthright citizenship.

"I just don't think it's there so that somebody can come over from China, have a baby and then, suddenly, that baby is an American citizen," Tarter said. "I don't think that was the intent of the 14th amendment. And I think that should be changed.

"They're bad ideas!" Sen. Durbin said. "If you're here undocumented, and you commit a serious crime, you have relinquished any right to legal status. And, finally, we cannot accept everyone who wants to come to this country at this moment. We have to have an orderly process."​​​​​​​

Durbin is now facing four potential Republican challengers with Dr. Tom Tarter's announcement Monday. 

The most prominent, perhaps, is former Lake County Sheriff Mark Curran.