Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) is making a counterproposal to an initiative from the Trump administration which offers $1,000 to undocumented immigrants who voluntarily leave the United States using the CBP Home app.
Gallego is instead suggesting that undocumented immigrants pay a $5,000 fine, undergo a background check, and receive a temporary work visa renewable with good behavior.
"Why don't we make them pay a $5k fine, go through a background check and give them a work visa for a few years, renewable with good behavior," Gallego said Monday on his X account, responding to a report about the Trump administration's plan.
Why don’t we make them pay a $5k fine, go through a background check and give them a work visa for a few years, renewable with good behavior. https://t.co/9xobe9oF1N
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) May 5, 2025
Gallego also took the time to respond to several comments on his post. One user called out the Senator by saying: "let me get this straight: you're telling people who are following the legal path to citizenship that you want illegal immigrants to pay $5,000 to skip the line—even though they broke the law. Got it." Gallego responded with a one-line answer: "work visa is not [citizenship]."
Another user stated that "the fine should be higher," to which Gallego responded: "it can be higher. It just needs to work able."
Gallego's proposal is part of the stricter immigration policies he has been advocating for as part of the Democratic party. In a recent interview he stated that curbing illegal border crossings "should be a bipartisan position," adding that he advocated for increased funding for Border Patrol, strategic use of barriers, and streamlining asylum hearings to prevent prolonged stays without legal status. He also voiced support for a flexible guest worker program with two-year permits and reiterated his backing of a path to citizenship for Dreamers.
Gallego has previously crossed party lines on immigration, supporting the Republican-backed Laken Riley Act in January and criticizing some immigrant advocacy groups as out of touch with Latino working-class voters.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has described its $1,000 offer as a stipend intended to "facilitate travel back to [a migrant's] home country," paid after the CBP Home app confirms their departure, as The Hill explains. Migrants who opt for this method would also be "deprioritized for detention and removal" if they show progress toward leaving.
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