Castro jabs at Biden’s ‘guts’ on immigration

WASHINGTON — Julián Castro joined a robust effort on the debate stage Wednesday night challenging Democratic front-runner Joe Biden, telling the former vice president that he failed to learn lessons from the many deportations during the Obama administration.

In a spirited debate between 2020 Democratic candidates with Biden a frequent target, Castro again seized on the issue of immigration in his quest to remain a viable candidate heading into the fall.

After defending his proposal to decriminalize border crossings, Castro, a former San Antonio mayor and national housing secretary, remarked that the phrase “open borders” is a rightwing talking point.

“And frankly, I’m disappointed that some folks, including some folks on this stage, have taken the bait,” he said, presaging an interchange with Biden.

Biden, whom Castro has criticized before on immigration, remarked that he’d never heard Castro “talk about any of this” as secretary of Housing and Urban Development late in the Obama administration.

“If you cross the border illegally, you should be able to be sent back. It’s a crime,” Biden said, eliciting further response from Castro.

“First of all Mr. Vice President,” Castro said, “it looks like one of us has learned the lessons of the past and one of us hasn’t.”

“What we need,” Castro said, “are politicians who actually have some guts on this issue.”

Biden, accused of being too passive in the first debate, didn’t let Castro’s remark pass, much as he responded forcefully to others during the evening.

“I have guts enough to say his plan doesn’t make sense,” Biden said. “The fact of the matter is that when people cross the border illegally, it is illegal to do it unless they’re seeking asylum. People should have to get in line.”

For Castro, the back-and-forth with Biden was a memorable moment in a debate that could prove critical in his quest to remain a viable candidate.

Castro took the stage knowing that he would likely need a strong performance if he is to reach the polling status he needs — at least 2 percent in four qualifying polls — to participate in the next round of 2020 Democratic debates.

His debate showing last month generated a surge of donations enabling him to reach the 130,000-donor threshold set by the Democratic National Committee as the second requirement for candidates to take part in debates in September and October.

“I just need one final surge of support,” he said in an email to supporters Wednesday

Unlike the first debate, candidates had opportunities to present opening statements. Castro used his 60 seconds to speak, as he often does, about growing up in San Antonio.

“I grew up with a single mom in a poor neighborhood, but like many of you, I don’t want to make America anything again,” Castro said.“I don’t want us to go backward. We’re not going back to the past. We’re not going back where we came from. We’re going to move forward. We’re going to make America better than it’s ever been in the years to come.”

Castro joined in criticizing President Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of Baltimore last weekend, a city the president referred to as a “disgusting rat and rodentinfested mess.”

“First of all, the president is a racist. And that’s just one more example of it,” Castro said, adding that he would invest in Baltimore by improving broadly in education, including federal grants for prekindergarten learning.

Castro’s approach drew supportive words earlier Wednesday from Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez, D-NY.

Ocasio-Cortez, a first-term House member who has developed a wide following among liberals and young activists, told an interviewer that Castro is “doing amazing stuff when it comes to immigration and race and criminal justice, too. He’s not just talking about these issues we need to talk about. He’s also pinpointing the specific policies that we need to change.”

Castro also received an unusual, albeit tentative, endorsement from former professional basketball player Charles Barkley.

Barkley, in Detroit for the debate, said he is leaning toward supporting Castro, remarking that politicians “take black folk for granted.”