WASHINGTON, D.C. - Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) has introduced a plan for systemic immigration reform and a front-and-center border security plan to reach what he says should be a bipartisan goal of “getting illegal border crossing to as near zero as possible.”

“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 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.”

Gallego’s five-pillar framework, titled "Securing the Border and Fueling Economic Prosperity," (Espanol), emphasizes securing the border, reforming the asylum system, expanding legal pathways to fuel economic prosperity, bringing people out of the shadows, and addressing the root causes of migration.

The plan also addresses the fentanyl crisis: “While local law enforcement, elected officials, and non-profits work tirelessly to ensure their communities thrive, drug cartels take advantage, flooding our communities with fentanyl and other deadly drugs, while criminals slip through the cracks.”

Gallego’s main point is that "we don't have to choose between border security and immigration reform... We can and should do both. Americans deserve the right to feel safe and know that their border is secure, but for decades, Congress has tried and failed to take action because politics got in the way. It's time to push forward and enact a plan that works.”

His plan includes hiring more Border Patrol agents and other staff, using technology to stop fentanyl smuggling, and funding infrastructure at ports of entry, including building some physical barriers. It also creates a “migration reserve corps” to respond to unexpected migrant surges at border crossings that would require more agents.

"Let's give Border Patrol everything they want for how many men they need for the border... how many vehicles they need and put walls and barriers where it's necessary and needed and open up more ports of entry," Gallego said in an April interview.

On the immigration reform side, Gallego’s plan supports expanding legal immigration pathways to grow the economy and protect American workers. There are pathways to citizenship for Dreamers, undocumented spouses of US citizens, and other long-term residents who contribute to the American economy.

According to Gallego’s report, an estimated 3.4 million Dreamers live in the United States as of 2023.

“Brought here as children, most of these individuals lack any legal status or pathway to citizenship. Many of them grew up and have lived in the U.S. for their entire lives. They have attended our schools, received college educations, worked and helped grow our economy, paid taxes, contributed to Social Security, and started families — oftentimes with U.S. citizen spouses. And immigrants, including Dreamers, are less likely to commit crimes than U.S.-born individuals. Due to Washington’s failure to create an immigration system that works, most of these Dreamers live in the shadows. Failing to provide them with a pathway to citizenship is wrong and harms our economic vitality.”

Gallego, a Marine Corps veteran and the son of an immigrant, explained his motivation.

"I grew up in a home where the American Dream was all we had," he said. "My mom, an immigrant who raised us on her own, worked hard to provide for me and my three sisters. I saw firsthand what it means to sacrifice, to struggle, and to fight for a better future."

"It's a fight that millions of immigrants in this country understand," he continued. "But many of them live in the shadows. We must do right by these communities by giving them their shot at the American dream so they can prosper in the country that has provided so much to families like mine."

Gallego proposes to phase in E-Verify nationwide.

His plan also eliminates per-country visa caps.

Gallego has underscored the importance of bipartisan cooperation on immigration enforcement.

"Getting illegal border crossing to as near zero as possible should be a bipartisan position," Gallego told KTAR News 92.3 FM's The Mike Broomhead Show. "I think that's something that we could all start with right there."

In January, he broke with most Democrats by voting for the GOP-authored Laken Riley Act, now enacted, which broadens the situations in which authorities must detain undocumented immigrants accused of crimes. At the time, he told POLITICO that his vote reflected the views of “working-class Latinos from Arizona.”

“I’m here to bring some more real truth about what people are thinking,” he said, describing some immigration advocacy groups that opposed the bill as “largely out of touch with where your average Latino is.”

Gallego’s plan significantly changes the US asylum system, putting asylum seekers before a judge as they enter the country instead of waiting for years. His press release says the changes are aimed at reducing the backlog of asylum cases, addressing concerns over abuse, and ensuring that migrants are treated “with dignity and respect.”

"There's just no way anybody could look at what happened in the last four years that we could look at it, and this is for more of a message to the left, the asylum system was abused," Gallego said on KTAR News. "Abused to the point where it drove Americans and even immigrants mad that people were able to just come to the border, claim asylum, and they're here and they have a work permit for seven years," he added. "And there are people that have been here for years trying to get work permits, but they still can't get it, right?"

As of May 2025, border crossings are at an all-time low. In March 2025, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “the Border Patrol data shows that around 7,180 southwest border crossings were recorded, a dramatic drop compared to the monthly average of 155,000 from the previous four years.”

“Daily southwest border apprehensions have also fallen to around 230 per day—a 95% drop from the previous administration’s average daily encounters of 5,100 per day.”

Gallego’s plan enters a landscape where partisan division has created gridlock.

Mike Madrid, a Republican political consultant, is still hopeful. “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.”

Several members of Congress, including Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-TX-34), have endorsed the plan.

“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,” Gonzalez said.

Whether Gallego’s plan can build consensus remains uncertain. Still, his renewed attempt to find common ground on one of the most enduring and divisive issues in American politics is a notable effort to bridge a divide that has long resisted resolution.

Category: immigration