“We don’t have to choose between border security and immigration reform,” Gallego said in a statement. “We can and should do both. Americans deserve the right to feel safe and know 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.”

Gallego’s plan is not a bill and is meant to serve as guidance for lawmakers. It includes five pillars for any legislation on the two interrelated issues.

First, an unspecified number of Border Patrol agents should be funded by Congress and hired, and ports of entry where cargo, people, and vehicles are inspected must receive improvements, including drug detection technology.

Second, the asylum process should be addressed in a way that ends abuse of bogus claims and speeds up the years-long court process, while treating asylum seekers with “dignity and respect,” Gallego’s plan states.

Legal immigration avenues should be expanded to grow the U.S. economy, while still protecting American workers.

Dreamers, or people who were brought into the United States illegally as children, should be given a pathway to citizenship, as well as “long-term” illegal immigrants who contribute to the community.

“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 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. But many of them live in the shadows.”

Finally, other countries should do “their fair share” to resettle asylum seekers and receive help from the U.S. to address drug cartels, economic problems, and instability.

Immigration reform has not been successfully attempted since the mid-1990s. In 2013, eight senators, known as the “Gang of Eight,” attempted to pass comprehensive legislation. Last year, three senators proposed a bipartisan border bill, but Republicans refused to back it.

U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION EMPLOYEES TOLD NOT TO USE DEI TERMS

Since President Donald Trump began his second term, the southern border has seen the lowest number of illegal immigrant arrests per month since the late 1960s.

Gallego, elected to the Senate last year in purple Arizona, is seen as a possible 2028 presidential contender for his appeal to working-class, independent, and Latino voters.