In an exclusive report, we have learned that Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has become the first Democrat to support a new bill aimed at enhancing recruitment for U.S. Customs and Border Protection applicants, particularly those working at the border.
The candidate from the Democratic Party in Arizona vying for the Senate seat left open by Senator Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) is backing the Anti-Border Corruption Improvement Act. This proposed legislation seeks to abolish the polygraph mandate for individuals with prior law enforcement background or military security clearance who are applying for positions at CBP.
Experts suggest that the elimination of certain requirements could help solve the widespread recruitment issues faced by Border Patrol. By doing so, it is estimated that an additional 5,000 agents could be hired to strengthen the team.
Gallego stated that during his meetings with CBP and border community leaders, the shortage of CBP officers is one of the primary concerns raised. In his statement to the Washington Examiner, he emphasized that securing the border should not be a partisan issue. He takes pride in being the first to support the proposed legislation, which aims to simplify and hasten the CBP hiring process.
Gallego emphasized that individuals who have previously served our country in law enforcement or as veterans should not encounter any unnecessary obstacles when seeking to serve once again.
In January of last year, lawmakers introduced the legislation which was later referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement in the House.
Kari Lake, who is running against Ruben Gallego in the upcoming election, along with other Republicans, holds Gallego and his Democratic colleagues responsible for the current state of the border. Lake recently released an advertisement featuring footage of Gallego with Vice President Kamala Harris, with the text “Ruben Gallego and Kamala Harris: Bad for the border. Bad for Arizona. Bad for America.” The ad also criticizes Gallego’s voting record, citing a FiveThirtyEight tally that indicates he voted with President Joe Biden and Vice President Harris 100% of the time during the 117th Congress from 2021 to 2022.
Border Patrol officials who have access to federal government data have reported that the number of migrants who were apprehended while attempting to enter the United States from Mexico has significantly decreased to levels that were not seen during the Trump administration. On average, between 1,670 to 2,500 arrests are made each day for illegal entry into the U.S. from Mexico.
Congressman Gallego is a strong advocate for providing more resources to border towns from the federal government. Last year, he played a key role in securing emergency funding of more than $2 million from the Department of Homeland Security to support Arizona’s border communities. In addition, he introduced a bill to combat fentanyl money laundering, which was signed into law in April. Gallego also introduced two bills, the Direct Hire Act and the Screening Efficiency Act, which aim to expedite migrant processing and provide relief to border towns in Arizona.
Although Gallego was critical of Title 42, a pandemic-era authority that enabled authorities to turn away migrants who arrived at the U.S.-Mexico border, he pushed back against the Biden administration’s decision to end the policy without having a plan in place to manage the surge of migrants at the border.
