Julian Castro Unveils Sweeping Immigration Platform

The Corpus Christi Times reports:

Democratic presidential hopeful Julian Castro is calling for a path to citizenship for children brought to the United States without documentation and for elimination of what he described as a “for-profit immigration detention industry.”

The proposals are part of an immigration plan the former San Antonio mayor and Obama administration cabinet official outlined in an essay posted Tuesday on medium.com. Julian Castro formally entered the 2020 presidential race on Jan. 12, 2019.

“The truth is, immigrants seeking refuge in our country aren’t a threat to national security,” Castro said in the post. “Migration shouldn’t be a criminal justice issue. It’s time to end this draconian policy and return to treating immigration as a civil — not a criminal  —  issue.”

Axios reports:



Castro, the first Texas Democrat to run for president since 1976, is a former San Antonio Mayor and was the youngest cabinet secretary in the Obama administration. Castro was among those considered to be Hillary Clinton’s vice president in 2016 and, while he didn’t ultimately get the spot, he made frequent appearances with Clinton during the election.

Castro outlined his extensive immigration policy, which includes reversing Trump policies such as the Muslim ban, spending on a southern border wall and cuts to refugee programs. Castro proposed a 21st Century Marshall Plan for Central America to focus on stabilizing the countries with the largest number of migrants coming to the U.S.