In a proposal published on Medium for a policy that he says “puts people first,” 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Julian Castro on Tuesday called for illegal immigration to be treated as a civil offense, not a criminal one.
“The truth is, immigrants seeking refuge in our country aren’t a threat to national security,” said Castro, who has made his opposition to President Trump’s immigration policies a cornerstone of his campaign. “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.”
Castro said he would reverse the travel ban on migration from certain countries, cuts in refugee numbers, and what he calls “wasteful spending on a pointless wall.”