Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) has broken ranks with his party to support the Anti-Border Corruption Improvement Act, becoming the first Democrat to endorse the border-related bill. This legislation aims to streamline hiring for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) by removing the polygraph requirement for applicants with law enforcement or military security clearances.
Gallego, who is running for the Senate seat left vacant by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), has highlighted the importance of addressing CBP’s recruitment challenges. Experts suggest that eliminating the polygraph requirement could lead to the hiring of an additional 5,000 Border Patrol agents, addressing critical staffing shortages.
“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 stated. “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.”
The bill was introduced last January and is now under review by the House Subcommittee on Border Security and Enforcement. Despite his bipartisan efforts, Gallego has faced criticism from Republicans, particularly his Senate opponent Kari Lake. Lake’s recent ad attacks Gallego’s voting record, aligning him closely with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
Gallego has been a vocal advocate for more federal support for border towns, securing over $2 million in emergency funding and introducing multiple bills to improve border security and processing. While he opposed Title 42, a pandemic-era policy that allowed authorities to turn away migrants, he criticized the Biden administration for attempting to end the policy without a plan to manage the influx of migrants.
The Arizona Senate race is considered “Lean Democratic” by the Cook Political Report, highlighting the competitive nature of the upcoming election.
