WASHINGTON -- GOP Senate candidate Mike McFadden pressed Congress returning Monday to address immigration reform, saying he wanted to secure the border first and then "move forward with a plan that would address those here illegally."

McFadden says he favors a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants living in the United States illegally, as long they met certain requirements like proof of a job, paying back taxes or a fine, and a background check. He also said he wants proof of a secure border first.

When pressed on how he defined a secure border, a campaign spokesman said he supported the Cornyn-Cuellar bill that treats unaccompanied minors from Central America the same as those from Mexico. The proposal also expedites immigration hearings for children with asylum claims.

"I think immigration is a classic example of how broken Washington is ... We have to solve it. I don't want to split apart families," he said, in an interview. "When someone gets through those hurdles, then they stand in line ... But I think they have to go through the hurdles first because they have broken the law."

In 2013, the U.S. Senate passed a comprehensive immigration reform bill with a bipartisan 68-32 majority that included more money to secure the border, a path to citizenship for people living here illegally if they met certain requirements, and an overhaul to the visa system. The bill has lingered in the GOP-controlled House where leaders said they preferred to take up immigration reform in a piecemeal approach. Little has materialized in the last year from the chamber.

McFadden declined to say whether he supported the Senate immigration reform bill.

President Obama has said he may take executive action to deal with the issue -- though White House officials over the weekend said they would wait until after the election.

McFadden hopes to unseat Democratic Sen. Al Franken, who has said he didn't approve of the president taking executive action on immigration reform over the summer.

Franken, on Monday, said he was proud of the Senate bill and called "the end result greater than the sum of the parts." He said the House taking action is "much more sustainable" than Obama acting unilaterally.

"It's been with the House for more than a year," he said, in an interview. "This is something that's supported by the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO. It's supported by the farm workers and the farm bureau. This is a bill that works."