Senator Tammy Duckworth is an Iraq War Veteran, Purple Heart recipient and former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs who was among the first handful of Army women to fly combat missions during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Duckworth served in the Reserve Forces for 23 years before retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in 2014. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016 after representing Illinois’s Eighth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for two terms.
As the daughter of an immigrant and a Daughter of the American Revolution, Senator Duckworth is an advocate for comprehensive, fair, humane and just immigration reform because she believes that America is at its best when we embrace our nation’s rich immigrant heritage. She understands that immigrants strengthen our economy and our communities by working hard every day to build a better life for themselves and their families and is working to advance immigration policies that reflect that reality.