PHOENIX – Sen. Ruben Gallego unveiled a plan Monday to reform the nation’s immigration system and ensure that the southern border is secure.
“We don’t have to choose between border security and immigration reform. We can and should do both,” the Arizona Democrat said in a press release.
Gallego laid out the framework of his proposal in a document titled “Securing the Border and Fueling Economic Security.”
The 22-page document includes an analysis — including a list of recommendations — for each of the following five pillars:
- Secure the border and keep our communities safe.
- Reform the asylum system to end abuse.
- Expand legal pathways to fuel economic prosperity.
- Bring people out of the shadows.
- Address root causes of migration.
Gallego plan includes pathway to citizenship for ‘Dreamers’
Gallego, a U.S. Marine veteran, serves on the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and is a member of the Subcommittee on Border Management, Federal Workforce and Regulatory Affairs.
His plan calls for expanding the pathway to citizenship, including for the millions of people known as “Dreamers” and other long-term immigrant residents who were brought into the U.S. without documentation as children.
“Many of them live in the shadows,” Gallego said. “We must do right by these communities by giving them their shot at the American dream.”
He also recommends using incentives to hire and retain Border Patrol agents and providing asylum officers to decide claims instead of judges.
Gallego isn’t first Arizona senator to push immigration reform plan
With his new plan, Gallego is to an extent following the footsteps of his predecessor in office.
Former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, who turned independent after winning election as a Democrat, was a key negotiator in a comprehensive bipartisan immigration bill during her only term as a senator.
Senate Republicans ultimately prevented the legislation from advancing, prompting speculation that Donald Trump told his party mates to block it to keep the border issue alive while he campaigned to regain the presidency.
Gallego, who also campaigned on the border security issue, hopes his plan doesn’t suffer the same fate.
“Americans deserve the right to feel safe know their border is secure, but for decades, Congress has tried and failed to take action because politics got in the way,” he said. “It’s time to push forward and enact a plan that works.”
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