News · Press Release

Vasquez Spearheads Plan to Strengthen Border Security and Immigration Reform

As the majority of Americans reject D.C. Republicans’ chaotic and reckless agenda and President Trump’s illegal mass deportation campaign, Congressman Gabe Vasquez is leading House Democrats forward with a proactive, commonsense immigration and border security framework that delivers real solutions.

The new policy platform, spearheaded by Vasquez and the New Democrat Coalition, lays out a blueprint to secure the border, keep communities safe, and fix a broken immigration system by:

  • Investing in technology to modernize border security and combat cartels
  • Creating legal pathways that strengthen the economy and U.S. competitiveness with China
  • Ensuring oversight over DHS detention to ensure immigrants are treated with humanity and dignity. 

The Vasquez-led proposal “also calls for resources to support efforts to dismantle cartels and combat smuggling, while providing funding for the removal of violent offenders.” 

DCCC Spokesperson Anna Elsasser:
“While Republicans recklessly put politics ahead of public safety, Gabe Vasquez continues to lead the way on commonsense solutions to address the needs of border communities across New Mexico and crack down on crime. That’s the kind of leadership it will take to win in 2026.”

Read more:
The Washington Post: These House Democrats seek a new middle ground on immigration

  • Finding a position the whole caucus can get behind is “imperative”… to win back the House majority in 2026, said Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D), who spearheaded the framework and is known for flipping a GOP-held district along the New Mexico-Mexico border that has repeatedly supported Donald Trump for president.
  • An Economist/YouGov poll released last week showed 53 percent of respondents disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration
  • Trump’s mass deportation efforts are creating work shortages in the agriculture and hospitality sectors. In response, the group proposes creating a new temporary nonimmigrant visa category for industries experiencing occupation shortages and a new caregiver visa to help families access affordable child and elder care…
  • They also propose issuing 100,000 additional green cards for international graduates from U.S. universities, and opening a special visa program for immigrants creating start ups. They argue these reforms would simultaneously incentivize innovation, benefit the economy, and shore up national security by keeping talented individuals in the U.S.
  • The group calls for keeping the Department of Homeland Security adequately funded so it can retain no fewer than 22,000 border patrol agents, provide raises to agents on the lower end of the pay scale, and purchase upgrades to its technology. 
  • “In this moment, we need unity amongst our party…You have to do what’s good, and if that means incremental steps towards better immigration policy, we have to be willing to go there.” – Vasquez
New Mexico Political Report: Vasquez leads new immigration and border plan by House Democrats

  • Vasquez, who chairs the working group [said,] “It’s time for change, and I’m proud to be leading the Democratic party forward with new commonsense policies to secure our borders, boost local economies, and expand legal pathways in a humane, cost-effective way.”
  • The document calls on lawmakers across the political spectrum to end partisan gridlock and enact… “meaningful legislation” for a modernized immigration system.
  • The framework release comes as immigration remains a top political issue ahead of the 2026 midterm elections…
Albuquerque Journal: New Democrat Coalition, Congressman Vasquez advocate an economic focused approach to immigration

  • A coalition of centrist Democrats led by New Mexico Congressman Gabe Vasquez released a new policy framework last week, advocating for more border security dollars and faster legal pathways to citizenship, including some policy stances that 20 years ago would likely have been championed by Republicans. 
  • Vasquez, who won reelection in New Mexico’s most competitive congressional district last year, is working group chair for the new plan. He represents border communities in New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District and comes from a mixed status family.
  • “I think we have to acknowledge that the frustration from the American people on immigration reform is real. And that goes for both Democrats and Republicans,” Vasquez said.
  • The plan emphasizes the need to combat cartels responsible for drug and human trafficking, Vasquez said, something for which he advocated with legislation in the previous congressional session. It also has new provisions for detention center oversight.
  • “Right now, we’re seeing this very draconian mass deportation policy that doesn’t really get to the root of the issues of what the American people want to see, and that is a fair and a legal and a humane immigration system,” Vasquez said.
  • The plan is as much about the economy as immigration reform, he said, and improving the country’s economy is an area where Vasquez believes Republicans and Democrats can be brought together.

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