Remembering Colin Powell

Floor Speech

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Mr. DURBIN. Madam President, like so many others in the Senate across America, I was saddened to learn this morning of the passing of Colin Powell.

In his lifetime, he broke down so many barriers, and he held some of the most important titles in this great Nation: General of the U.S. Army, National Security Adviser, America's first Black Joint Chiefs of Staff, and our first Black Secretary of State.

But before he held any of those positions, and after he stepped away from them, Colin Powell was always a patriot and a public servant. He was the son of immigrants--Jamaican immigrants--who raised their children to make the most of every opportunity that America offered and to show their gratitude to this Nation by giving--giving back however they could.

That story of opportunity and obligation is a story told by every immigrant parent to their children. It is the same story my mother taught to me and my brothers.

Much has been said and written about Colin Powell's historic and distinguished career as a soldier and a statesman. He was respected in a way that transcended partisan labels.

He wasn't perfect. His speech in 2003 to the U.N. General Assembly claimed incorrectly that Iraq likely possessed weapons of mass destruction. It was based on information he was given and later learned to be false. It helped make a case for a war about which he had misgivings, and he would come to regret those remarks the rest of his life.

But he never stopped trying to serve, even after leaving public office. In 2010, Colin Powell spoke out publicly about a cause that is deeply personal to many people, including myself. He and other military leaders urged this Senate to pass the Dream Act--legislation that would give young immigrants who grew up in the United States a chance to earn their citizenship.

Who better could speak to that issue than Colin Powell, the son of immigrants who served this Nation with distinction and combat and in public service? Regrettably, at the time, while a majority of Senators supported the Dream Act, it was filibustered and did not pass. Still, tens of thousands of immigrants are risking their lives today defending our Nation in uniform. Among them may very well be another Colin Powell.

It would be a fitting tribute to Secretary Powell for us to pass immigration reform now--this year--and recognize what a great patriot and son of immigrants like Colin Powell brought to this Nation.

One last point. Colin Powell survived one form of cancer nearly 20 years ago. He was being treated for another when he passed away. Multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer, weakens the immune system. So despite the fact that he was fully vaccinated, General Powell died of complications of COVID.

It is sad and ironic that a man who spent so much of his life defending others from danger, in the end, died from a common enemy that too many of our fellow citizens continue to deny, thus giving the virus an opportunity to replicate and wreak havoc. We are not each other's enemies; the virus is the enemy.

Today, it claimed the life of an American statesman. By this time tomorrow, it will have taken another 1,500 family members, neighbors, heroes to many.

Especially for young children who can't be vaccinated yet and for the millions of Americans with compromised immune systems, we really have to increase our vaccine rates.

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