On Wednesday, Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro told supporters in San Antonio that he’s looking forward to the day he can tell a one-term Donald Trump “adios!”
Protesting the president’s same-day visit to Texas, Castro mostly spoke to his hometown audience about his White House plans for immigration.
“About a year ago, this administration told us that if we could just be cruel enough to separate these little children from their parents, that it would deter more families from coming to the U.S,” Castro said during his speech. “And instead, more families are coming now.”
“When it comes to immigration, this president and his policies have been an absolute failure for our country,” Castro said.
The San Antonio native and former Obama official promised supporters he would bring home deported veterans, raise the number of refugees accepted into the U.S., and provide economic assistance to Central American countries where migrants are fleeing from.
“This is not rocket science,” Castro said explaining the logic behind what he called a 21st century Marshall Plan. “Why would a mother take her six-month-old infant and make a journey of over a 1,000 miles that’s dangerous? You know why? Because there’s something more dangerous she’s fleeing from.”
“We need to forge the kind of relationships with those countries that can make them safer, that will ensure people can find jobs there,” Castro said. “Instead, the president has said he wants to cut aid to Central America. That is downright stupid.”
Last month, Trump said he planned on cutting almost $500 million in aidto El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. Critics, including Castro, say the move will only make migration from the region increase.
In addition to immigration, Castro also spoke about the importance of universal healthcare, a higher minimum wage, and said he would re-enter the U.S. into the Paris Agreement— a 2016 United Nations agreement that aims to lower greenhouse gas emissions.
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