Former cabinet secretary Castro announces his run for president

SAN ANTONIO — Assailing President Donald Trump for “a crisis of leadership,” former Obama Cabinet member Julian Castro joined the 2020 presidential race Saturday as the rush of Democrats making early moves to challenge the incumbent accelerates, while anticipation grows around bigger names still considering a White House run.

Castro, who could end up as the only Latino in what is shaping up to be a crowded Democratic field, put immigration and the government shutdown in the forefront of his announcement in his hometown, less than 200 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. Two days after the president visited the border to promote his promised wall, Castro mocked Trump for claiming that the U.S. faces an “invasion” from Mexico. “He called it a national security crisis,” Castro said. “Well, there is a crisis today. It’s a crisis of leadership. Donald Trump has failed to uphold the values of our great nation.”

Castro, the 44-year-old grandson of a Mexican immigrant, said he was running for president “because it’s time for new leadership, because it’s time for new energy and it’s time for a new commitment to make sure that the opportunities that I’ve had are available to every American.”

With the rally in San Antonio, where he was mayor for five years, the ex-housing secretary became the second Democrat to formally enter the race, after former Maryland Rep. John Delaney.

Julian Castro led U.S. Dept. of Housing from 2014-17.