Gallego becomes first Democrat to back border bill to expand CBP hiring – Washington Examiner Gallego backs border bill to expand CBP hiring
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has made history by being the first Democrat to support a border bill aimed at increasing the recruitment of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers. The proposed legislation, known as the Anti-Border Corruption Improvement Act, seeks to eliminate the polygraph requirement for CBP applicants who have prior law enforcement or military security experience. This move comes in response to significant staffing shortages within the CBP, with estimates suggesting that lifting this requirement could lead to the hiring of an additional 5,000 agents.
Gallego, who is running for Arizona’s Senate seat, emphasized the need for bipartisan efforts in securing the border and expressed concern over the recruitment issues faced by CBP. He stated that veterans and law enforcement professionals should not face unnecessary barriers when seeking to serve in border protection roles. The legislation was introduced last year and is currently under review by the House’s Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement.
Gallego’s support for the bill comes amidst criticisms from Republican challenger Kari Lake, who attributes current border issues to Gallego and the Democratic Party’s policies, highlighting his alignment with President Biden’s administration. This context is crucial as the number of migrant apprehensions at the border has reportedly dropped to levels not seen since the Trump era, adding further complexity to the ongoing border debate. Throughout his campaign, Gallego continues advocating for increased federal resources for Arizona’s border communities.
Gallego becomes first Democrat to back border bill to expand CBP hiring
EXCLUSIVE — Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) became the first Democrat to back a new border-related bill that would help expand hiring for U.S. Customs and Border Protection applicants.
The Arizona Democrat running for Arizona’s Senate seat, left vacant by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), is supporting the Anti-Border Corruption Improvement Act, which would remove the polygraph requirement for those applying for positions at CBP who have previous law enforcement experience or military security clearances.
There have been widespread recruitment problems, and experts believe by eliminating this requirement, an additional 5,000 Border Patrol agents could be hired.
“When I meet with CBP and border community leaders, one of the first things they mention to me is the shortage of CBP officers,” Gallego said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “Securing our border should be a bipartisan issue, which is why I’m proud to be the first to cross the aisle and support this commonsense legislation to expedite CBP hiring.”
“Law enforcement officers and veterans who have already served our country once shouldn’t face unnecessary hurdles to serving again,” Gallego added.
The legislation was introduced in January of last year and has since been referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement in the House.
Republicans, including Gallego’s GOP opponent, Kari Lake, blame Gallego and his Democratic colleagues for the current state of the border. Lake recently released a new ad showing footage of Gallego and Vice President Kamala Harris with the words “Ruben Gallego and Kamala Harris: Bad for the border. Bad for Arizona. Bad for America.” The ad also slams Gallego for his voting record, citing a FiveThirtyEight tally showing he voted with President Joe Biden and Harris 100% of the time in the 117th Congress, between 2021 and 2022.
This as the number of migrants arrested after attempting to enter the United States from Mexico has dropped to levels not seen since the Trump administration. The number of migrants apprehended each day for illegally entering the U.S. from Mexico has averaged between 1,670 and 2,500 arrests recently, according to Border Patrol officials with access to federal government data.
Gallego continues to advocate more resources from the federal government for border towns. He helped secure over $2 million in emergency funding from the Department of Homeland Security to support Arizona’s border communities last year. The congressman also introduced a bill to combat fentanyl money laundering that was signed into law in April. He also introduced the Direct Hire Act and the Screening Efficiency Act, both aimed at speeding up migrant processing and providing relief to Arizona’s border towns.
While Gallego was a critic of Title 42, a pandemic-era authority that allowed authorities to turn away migrants who came to the U.S.-Mexico border, he pushed back on the Biden administration’s effort to end the policy before having a plan in place to handle the surge of migrants at the border.
The Arizona Senate race is rated “Lean Democratic” by nonpartisan political handicapper the Cook Political Report, alongside races in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...