Sal Russo, the co-founder of the Tea Party Express, is beefing up pressure on Republicans to pass comprehensive legislation that would mend the nation's outdated and broken immigration system.

On Wednesday, the Tea Party leader published an op-ed on Roll Call, calling for stronger border security and reform that would bring 11 million undocumented residents out of the shadows and help the U.S. compete in the global economy.

"It is time to make the changes that our citizens and our economy demand," Russo writes in the editorial. "Our current policies date back to the 1960s, when TVs were black and white and computers were bigger than cars. Our nation competes in a global economy, and our immigration policies should reflect our needs for the 21st century. Conservative-led immigration reform is an important step to a brighter American future."

Russo, a prominent leader in the conservative moment, argued that granting undocumented workers legal status is not "unbridled amnesty," but instead should come with regulations and fines.

"We need to make the 11 million people who are here illegally obey the law, pay taxes and come out of the shadows. We have to get them right by the law in exchange for legal status, but not unbridled amnesty. This should include penalties, background checks to root out criminals, and the requirement that they learn English, understand the Constitution and be committed to our basic freedoms," he says.

Russo also announced that the Tea Party Express, one of the largest national tea party organizations, is partnering with Grover Norquist's Americans for Tax Reform for a monthly conference call to highlight conservative support for changes to the U.S. immigration system.

The two pro-immigration reform right-wing groups also joined forces with Partnership for a New American Economy to release a national survey that shows that around 70 percent of Republicans who identify with the Tea Party movement support immigration reform. Not only do they think that reform should pass this year, but they also back the idea of undocumented immigrants obtaining either a path to citizenship or citizenship, reports Think Progress.

In addition, the poll shows that 76 percent of surveyed Republicans support improved border security and letting immigrants remain in the U.S. and 69 percent said they would also support a candidate who backs broad reform.