Border security, water rights and veteran care top priorities for Sen Gallego

PHOENIX — Congress began a new session Friday and among the new members is Ruben Gallego, the first Latino Senator from Arizona.

“It’s the beginning of me fighting for all working Arizonans,” Senator Ruben Gallego told media during a press gaggle ahead of his swearing-in. “I look forward to follow through on the promises to bring lower cost for our families, to keep our families safe and to protect our fundamental rights.”

Gallego will serve on several committees, including banking, energy and natural resources, homeland security and governmental affairs, and veterans’ affairs.

“The reason I requested those committees, it’s a really a reflection of what I talked about on the campaign and also what I heard from Arizonans about what they wanted,” Gallego said. “Obviously the Homeland Security Committee is extremely important, because we’re going to have to do more investments in border security, border patrol, ice.”

When it comes to mass deportation, a key campaign promise President-elect Donald Trump vowed to pursue on day one, Gallego said he is not going to have a “knee-jerk” reaction and rush into judgment, he will listen and try to work across the aisle.

“We’re not going to run to the barricades when they use words like mass deportation, because even now to this day, they have not really qualified what their plans are. So, we’re going to wait in here what their actual goals are,” Gallego said.

He added that Arizonans he spoke to during the campaign said, “They want more border security, they want more custom police officers, they want where, you know, where necessary border walls and, yeah, they want certain type of illegal immigrants deported.”

The Democratic Senator noted however, that he didn’t hear people calling for “family separations, and I didn’t hear about jailing kids or anything of that nature,” saying he will “actively work with Democrats and Republicans and this White House to fulfill that demand.”

Other priorities include ensuring Arizona and its Native American partners have water security, being a voice for veterans and making their healthcare more accessible, as well as developing new ways to build affordable housing.

“You know, it really makes me hopping mad, because I worked a lot with our 22 federally recognized tribes to make sure they had representation and for those that were going through water settlements, that they actually were able to get this done,” Gallego said, referencing the Northeastern Arizona Water Rights Settlement Act. “It really needs to be top priority of this of the Senate and the House to finish them, especially for the lower basin states.”