Former Obama administration official Julián Castro on Friday said if Democrats succeed in the 2020 elections, they shouldn’t follow in the footsteps of the party during the early years of his former boss when it comes to pushing for comprehensive immigration reform.
“The lesson of 2009 and 2010 on immigration reform is don’t wait,” the 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful said. “We’re not going to wait - we’re going to go forward with immigration reform.”
He predicted that in 2021, Democrats will control the House, the Senate, and the White House — though it’s highly unlikely that Democrats would have the 60 votes in the Senate needed to break a potential filibuster.
Mr. Castro said that shouldn’t matter.
“If the choice is between fixing our broken immigration system…or some 60-vote rule that is not in the Constitution, that has been violated over the years by both parties when they see it as convenient, then I am going to choose fixing our broken immigration system in 2021,” he said.
Mr. Castro has introduced a comprehensive immigration reform plan that, among other things, would reduce illegal border crossings from a criminal to a civil offense.
He and other 2020 presidential candidates are appearing at a forum on Friday in Miami at the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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