ICYMI: On MS NOW, Vasquez Highlights New American Immigration Plan to Fix Broken Immigration System

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On April 21, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) joined MS NOW's "Way Too Early" with Ali Vitali to discuss his recent oversight visit to the Camp East Montana ICE detention center and his New American Immigration Plan, a commonsense plan to move past both parties' failures on immigration to secure the border, boost the U.S. economy, and expand legal pathways in a humane, cost-effective way.

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE.

VITALI: "You are not someone who comes to this conversation just with criticisms of the way the Administration is carrying out this policy, you are also someone who is trying to propose solutions, and I wonder if you can briefly talk us through those as well as you think whether or not they can gain any traction in this Congress. Because there is a very slim number of Republicans who are open to doing something on immigration - margins are slim, is that an opportunity for someone like you?"

REP. VASQUEZ: "It absolutely is, and look, we've seen that the majority of the American people disapprove of the handling of immigration enforcement by this Administration. And as Democrats and some Republicans, hopefully, we should be able to come together with a plan to fix it. Right? So how do we fix these issues that we currently have? I represent a district with 180 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border… It's a district that thrives on international trade. We also grow the world's finest green and red chili. And really an economy that depends in so many ways on migrant labor and on the backs of migrants. Our economy has been built across the country.

And so if we're going to talk about reforming our immigration system - one, we have to start with border security. I have three ports of entry. Most of the illicit drugs and illicit trafficking of goods and people come through our ports of entry. We've got to shore up funding to support the technology that currently exists. I mean, we can fly to the moon, we can damn sure secure our ports of entry, and we should be investing in that rather than these warehouses across the country. We have the technology: ASTs, aerostats, force multipliers. We need comms infrastructure on the border. Democrats should be supportive of this in general, to strengthen border security. Now this is what CBP agents in my district on the ground have asked me for.

Second, we have to have a competitive economy. We have to realize that in places like the caregiving economy, as an example, or for farm workers or other manual labor jobs, when you talk to employers they say 'look if we didn't have immigrants, our businesses would shut down tomorrow.'"

Both parties have gotten immigration wrong for too long, and Americans are facing a false choice between open borders and the chaos we are seeing ICE unleash on our streets. Rep. Vasquez's New American Immigration Planoffers an alternative, commonsense path forward by:

Securing the Border:

• Modernizing and strengthening border security with drones, scanners, and towers
• Supporting CBP agents at the border by increasing staffing and raising pay
• Combating cartels, drug smugglers, and human traffickers
• Removing individuals convicted of violent crimes
• Strengthening national security, increasing global competitiveness, and countering China

Strengthening the U.S. Economy:

• Providing additional work visas for doctors, caregivers, and critical industries
• Granting visas that boost U.S. companies, start-ups, and new technologies like quantum and AI
• Implementing agriculture reforms to bring down food costs
• Meeting our domestic labor needs while prioritizing American workers
• Spurring small business growth

Fairness & American Values:

• Humane detention and ICE oversight - stopping ICE disappearances and mandating data collection
• Protecting American rights, law and order, and due process
• Providing stability for DACA recipients
• Keeping families together
• Protecting immigrant children

Building Strategic Legal Pathways:

• Securing pathways to legal status for individuals that follow the rules, pass a background check, and pay a fee
• Improving pathways for those who serve in the U.S. military, as well as spouses and children of U.S. citizens
• Reforming the outdated visa system for faster, fair processing

You can learn more about the New American Immigration Plan here.

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