WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) released his new plan to address the broken state of America’s border and immigration system. The five-pillar framework, “Securing the Border and Fueling Economic Prosperity,” emphasizes the importance of strengthening border security and restoring order to our communities, while also bringing immigrants out of the shadows.
Read the full plan HERE.
Since its release yesterday, the plan has received support from organizations and elected officials from different idealogical perspectives.
Here’s what they are saying:
UnidosUS: “This bill addresses the demand from Latino voters for an immigration and border policy that’s firm, fair, and free of cruelty. Our polling shows Latinos want a secure border, relief for the undocumented, and other countries to help manage border arrivals.”
American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) Executive Director Ben Johnson: “For decades, America’s immigration system has urgently needed meaningful congressional reform. AILA applauds Senator Gallego for taking a critical first step with this blueprint. His plan understandably focuses on securing the border, which polling shows matters to voters, but also matches it with essential elements of real reform: providing legal pathways that serve American families and businesses, legalizing the status of people who are undocumented or in a limbo status, and addressing the root causes of migration.”
American Business Immigration Coalition: “@SenRubenGallego is right. We can secure the border and secure the workforce! Delivering certainty for employers, workers and lowering prices for everyday American – we can do both!
Niskanen Center: “We’re excited to work with any lawmaker in Congress ready to make serious progress on immigration. We commend @SenRubenGallego for coming to the table with this plan.”
Third Way: “@SenRubenGallego is offering something rare—solutions that reflect our values and actually solve the problems Americans face. This is how you win the middle.”
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ): “@SenRubenGallego is right. Our border and immigration system need to be fixed, and these are the kinds of ideas to get it done. As border state senators, we’ve both seen these problems up close and know Arizonans want them solved. What we need is more folks in Washington willing to do something about it.”
Rep. Tom Suozzi (NY-03): “Sen. Gallego is a serious Democratic leader, and I applaud him for offering a balanced immigration policy that secures our borders, fixes the broken asylum system, grows our economy, and treats immigrants with dignity.”
Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (TX-34): “I commend Sen. Gallego for this pragmatic and much-needed framework. More Democrats need to move to the middle on this issue and embrace this type of approach. As a border-district congressman, I know it’s past time we reform our asylum system, stop the flow of dangerous drugs by investing in our Border Patrol officers, develop legal pathways, tackle the root causes of irregular migration, and ensure South Texas, and communities all along the border – can safely thrive.”
Cecilia Munoz:, Director of President Obama’s Domestic Policy Council: “As we did in the Obama era, Democrats need to offer solutions to our immigration challenges, bringing order, fairness and humanity to our immigration system.
@gallego.senate.gov just released a plan that aims for this balance and starts the conversation the country needs.”
Mike Madrid, Republican political consultant: “If Ruben Gallego is able to bring Democrats over and say we’re going to engage in this debate, and we’re going to do it in a way that is unique and different from this past generation of Democratic politicians, I think he brings his party into a new era that brings them back into relevancy.”
See additional coverage below of Senator Gallego’s border and immigration plan:
CNN:
Senator Gallego: “The first thing that we have to recognize is that we actually still have to prioritize border security first. In the past, we’ve always had this tried tradeoff between Democrats and Republicans. We will give you border security, in return we want immigration reform. What I’m trying to say is, no, border security itself is a value that both Democrats and Republicans like. […] A lot of elements of this will be found with in other even Republican bills. You know, you have seen Republicans that are open to Dreamers, that are open to having a very flexible program when it comes to visas and worker visas. We have an element of this where eventually, as you know, once we have a secure border and we have a worker visa program, that that is well and very flexible. […] This is something that I think that a lot of people, a lot of Democrats and Republicans have talked about in the past, but it’s an actual emphasis on reality of the politics of the border and border security that’s happening right now.”
FOX:
Senator Gallego: “For far too long, we have been focusing on immigration reform, but not really emphasizing the border security. […] I think what we need to establish as Democrats, that we do value a secure border. We do value sane migration coming into this country and laws that actually deals with people that have been out of the shadows, that that that can be calibrated to the situation at hand. So for example, what we see sometimes is the need for us to have workers, then we should have a guest worker program that can work to actually meet our economic demands. There are other areas, for example, we want to make Dreamers US citizens, something that President Trump supports. But the same time, we’re not throwing out the big net that we have in the past, where we’ve been demanding that the 8 million people here become US citizens, because realistically, that’s just not going to happen.”
Senator Gallego: “The American public wants a secure border, whether they’re Democrat, Republican or Independent. […] What I knew in talking to voters in Arizona – especially Latino voters – is that they wanted border security. What they didn’t want is exactly what they’re seeing right now families being torn apart [and] due process thrown out the window. People that are here legally right now in the process of getting their green cards are getting separated. That’s not what they want. This is the reason we’re releasing this plan, so Democrats can actually point to something and say, this is what a real bill looks like, that provides border security, a humane process for people to stay in this country while at the same time being realistic about our broken asylum system, so it’s not ever abused again. […] Border security itself is a good value that Democrats should be standing up for. We should do it in a in a comprehensive way, something that’s respectful of rights, making sure that it’s not overblown government project, but that will actually get us more people willing to listen to us. […] Democrats should own that space. The fact that we do want a secure border, once we do that, it’s going to be easier for us to pass modest piece of legislation, and we have to go in a modest manner, because we need to get the American public to understand that immigration reform is not going to destroy this country. As a matter of fact, it’ll make us stronger.”
AP: Arizona Democratic Sen. Gallego wades into immigration debate with new plan
[Rebecca Santana, 5/12/25]
Democratic Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego is wading into one of Washington’s most contentious and intractable political problems as he puts forward a plan Monday aimed at reforming the country’s immigration system and beefing up border security.
The plan by Gallego, who beat Republican Kari Lake in last fall’s tight Senate race, calls for hiring more Border Patrol agents; using technology to stop fentanyl smuggling; reforming the asylum system; adding more ways for people to come to the U.S.; and a pathway to citizenship for some immigrants
Gallego’s plan comes three months into President Donald Trump’s administration as Trump seeks to deliver on campaign promises of carrying out mass deportations. His plan — or any other from Democrats — is unlikely to get much traction with Trump in the White House, but it illustrates that the debate about legislative solutions carries on.
Politico: ‘We don’t have to choose’: Gallego launches border and immigration platform
[Myah Ward, 5/12/25]
The approach laid out in Gallego’s plan — a message that tackles both border security and fixes to a broken immigration system — is one Democrats are increasingly zeroing in on, especially as polls show some weaknesses in Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda.
The Arizona senator, who eked out a two-point Senate victory in Arizona last year even as former Vice President Kamala Harris fell to Trump, argues that he has credibility as a border-state lawmaker and has seen the immigration system’s “dysfunction firsthand.”
[Charles Creitz, 5/12/25]
Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego unveiled a border security and immigration reform plan that was immediately endorsed by several House Democrats. […]
Typically seen as a Republican issue, Gallego’s border security plan combines GOP priorities like staffing-up the Border Patrol, with Democrats’ favored “pathway to citizenship” for select migrants, in part for economic benefit.
Read more:
- The Hill: Gallego unveils immigration plan [Rebecca Beitsch, 5/12/25]
- Washington Examiner: Democratic senator unveils plan to tackle immigration reform and border security [Anna Giaritelli, 5/12/25]
- Semafor: Gallego jumps into immigration debate [Burgess Everett and Dave Weigel, 5/12/25]
5/13/25