THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN THE DEBATES.
THE DEBATES. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>> AND JOINING ME NOW FROM SAN
ANTONIO IS PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE, FORMER HOUSING
SECRETARY JULIAN CASTRO.
SECRETARY CASTRO, WELCOME BACK
TO "MEET THE PRESS."
>> GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.
>> YOU HAD AN EVENT FRIDAY NIGHT
IN AUSTIN, SOLD OUT, AFTER YOUR
DEBATE PERFORMANCE.
DEBATE PERFORMANCE.
BE HONEST WITH ME HERE.
HOW IMPORTANT DID YOU FEEL THESE
FIRST DEBATES WERE GOING TO BE FOR YOUR CANDIDACY INING TO BE
FOR YOUR CANDIDACY IN PARTICULAR?
PARTICULAR? >> VERY IMPORTANT, YEAH.
I KNEW COMING IN THAT MORE
PEOPLE WERE GOING TO BE WATCHING
THIS DEBATE THAN HAD BEEN TUNED
IN TO ANY EVENT IN THE CAMPAIGN
SO FAR.
PEOPLE HAD THEIR FIRST
OPPORTUNITY TO START COMPARING CANDIDATES. TO START COMPARING
CANDIDATES.
I WANTED TO INTRODUCE MYSELF TO
A LOT OF FOLKS BECAUSE, AS YOU
NOTE, CHUCK, MY NAME I.D. HAS BEEN LOWER THAN SOME OF THEAS
BEEN LOWER THAN SOME OF THE OTHER CANDIDATES.
OTHER CANDIDATES.
I ALSO THINK -- AND I THINK, YOU
KNOW, MY TAKEAWAY FROM IT IS
PROBABLY THE MOST HELPFUL THING
PEOPLE SAW WHEN IT COMES TO ME AND MY CANDIDACY AFTER WEDNESDAY
NIGHT IS THAT THE NUMBER ONE
QUESTION I GET ASKED WHEN I TALK
TO VOTERS IN IOWA, HERE IN
TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, WHEREVER, IS THEY
HAVE THIS KIND OF ANXIETY ABOUT
THE DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE AND
WHETHER THE NOMINEE CAN GO TOE
TO TOE ON THE DEBATE STAGE WITH
DONALD TRUMP.
CAN YOU HOLD YOUR OWN?
WHAT THEY SAW WAS THAT I HAVE A STRONG, COMPELLING VISION FOR A
STRONG, COMPELLING VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF THE COUNTRY AND
THAT I CAN HOLD MY OWN WHEN IM
CHALLENGED ON A DEBATE STAGE.
I CAN GO TOE TO TOE WITH DONALD
TRUMP.
I THINK THATS AN IMPORTANT
HURDLE FOR VOTERS, ESPECIALLY
THIS YEAR.
>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOUR
SORT OF SIGNATURE MOMENT IN THAT
DEBATE, WHEN YOU WENT UP -- YOU AND BETO OROURKE HAD A BACK AND
FORTH ABOUT THE ISSUE OF
ESSENTIALLY DECRIMINALIZING ONE PART OF IMMIGRATION LAW.ING ONE
PART OF IMMIGRATION LAW. YOU WANT TO SEE IT DONE.
I WANT TO GET YOU TO REACT TO
SOMETHING FAREED ZAKARIA WROTE
IN "THE WASHINGTON POST" EARLIER
THIS WEEK.
IF THINGS CONTINUE TO SPIRAL
DOWNWARD IN AMERICAS SOUTHERN
BORDER SEEMS OUT OF CONTROL,
TRUMPS TOUGH RHETORIC AND HARDLINE STANCE WILL BECOME
INCREASINGLY ATTRACTIVE.
INCREASINGLY ATTRACTIVE.
THE RISE OF POPULISM IN THE WESTERN WORLD IS ALMOST THE
WESTERN WORLD IS ALMOST
EVERYWHERE, TIED TO FEARS OF OUT OF CONTROL IMMIGRATION.RS OF OUT
OF CONTROL IMMIGRATION. HIS POINT BEING THIS, THAT THE
DEMOCRATS HAVE TO ALSO HAVE A
PLAN TO FIGURE OUT THIS INCREASE
IN MY GRAGS, ITSIMMIGRATION.
ITS HAPPENING ALL OVER THE
WORLD.
SOME OF ITS IMPACTED BY CLIMATE
CHANGE.
OTHERS, AUTHORITARIAN RULE.
WHAT DOES THAT PLAN LOOK LIKE IN
A CASTRO ADMINISTRATION?
>> IM GLAD YOU ASKED.
AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, CHUCK, I
WAS ACTUALLY THE FIRST CANDIDATE
IN EARLY APRIL TO PUT OUT A COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION PLAN,
AND MY FIRST ANSWER WOULD BE IF
YOURE OUT THERE AND YOURE
SAYING, WHAT IN THE WORLD IS
GOING ON?
144,000 PEOPLE CAME TO THE
SOUTHERN BORDER LAST MONTH. I AGREE WITH YOU.AST MONTH.
I AGREE WITH YOU. WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS.
BUT THERES A SMARTER, MORE
EFFECTIVE, AND MORE HUMANE WAY
TO ADDRESS THIS.
ILL GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THAT.IVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF
THAT.
WEVE KNOWN FOR YEARS THAT
PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM CENTRAL
AMERICA.
IN 2014, WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE
THAT ALSO CAME.
IN THE YEARS SUBSEQUENT TO THAT,
WE DID TOO.
THE FIRST THING THIS PRESIDENT
SHOULD HAVE DONE IS WHAT IVE
CALLED FOR, WHICH IS A 21st
CENTURY PLAN TO PARTNER WITH THESE NORTHERN TRIANGLE WITH
THESE NORTHERN TRIANGLE COUNTRIES THAT MANY OF THESE
PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM, WHETHER ITS HONDURAS OR EL SALVADOR ORR
ITS HONDURAS OR EL SALVADOR OR GUATEMALA, SO PEOPLE CAN FIND
SAFETY AND OPPORTUNITY AT HOME
INSTEAD OF HAVING TO COME TO THE
UNITED STATES.
IF IM ELECTED PRESIDENT, IM
GOING TO GO TO WORK RIGHT AWAY
TO MAKE SURE THAT WE PARTNER WITH THOSE COUNTRIES TO STEM THE
FLOW OF PEOPLE WHO FEEL SO
DESPERATE THAT THEY NEED TO COME TO THE UNITED STATES.EED TO COME
TO THE UNITED STATES. THATS ACTUALLY A SMARTER,
LONG-TERM WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS.
>> LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT THE POLITICS OF THESE DEBATES.E
POLITICS OF THESE DEBATES. YOU HAVE SOME ESTABLISHMENT
DEMOCRATS, SOME REPUBLICANS
LICKING THEIR CHOPS,
ESTABLISHMENT DEMOCRATS WRINGING
THEIR HANDS BECAUSE THESE
DEBATES PRESENTED A GROUP OF
CANDIDATES WHO WERE, QUOTE, FOR
OPEN BORDERS IF YOU
DECRIMINALIZE, OR YOU COULD BE PAINTED AS FOR OPEN BORDERS,BE
PAINTED AS FOR OPEN BORDERS, PAINTED AS FOR USING U.S. TAX
DOLLARS TO GIVE HEALTH CARE TO
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. THERES CONCERN THAT A PRESIDENT
TRUMP COULD EXPLOIT THAT TO HIS
GAIN.
WHAT SAY YOU? >> NUMBER ONE, THE PRESIDENT IS
GOING TO CALL DEMOCRATS AS BEING
FOR OPEN BORDERS NO MATTER WHAT
WE SAY.
NOBODY IS TALKING ABOUT OPEN BORDERS.S TALKING ABOUT OPEN
BORDERS.
WE HAVE 654 MILES OF FENCING.
WE HAVE THOUSANDS OF PERSONNEL
AT THE BORDER.
WE HAVE PLANES.
WE HAVE HELICOPTERS, GUNS, BOATS, SECURITY CAMERAS.S,
BOATS, SECURITY CAMERAS. STATES LIKE TEXAS, MY HOME STATE
THAT IM IN RIGHT NOW, SPENT AN
EXTRA $800 MILLION ON BORDER
SECURITY.
THATS JUST A RIGHT-WING TALKING
POINT.
WHAT WERE TALKING ABOUT IS
MAINTAINING A SECURE BORDER BUT
DOING THINGS LIKE THAT 21st CENTURY PLAN SO WE CAN ACTUALLY
STEM THE FLOW OF PEOPLE HERE
BECAUSE THEY CAN FIND SAFETY AND
OPPORTUNITY AT HOME.
WERE TALKING ABOUT CREATING AN
INDEPENDENT IMMIGRATION COURT SYSTEM WITH MORE JUDGES AND MORE
SUPPORT STAFF SO THAT WE CAN
ACTUALLY GET THESE CLAIMS, ASYLUM CLAIMS RESOLVED AND
PEOPLE ARE NOT WAITING IN THE
UNITED STATES IN LIMBO FOR YEARS
AND YEARS.
SO IF YOURE SOMEBODY WHOS OUT THERE WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUTT
THERE WHO IS CONCERNED ABOUT WHATS HAPPENING, I UNDERSTAND
THAT.
THAT.
IM SAYING THAT THERES A
SMARTER, THERES A MORE
EFFECTIVE WAY TO DO THIS THATS
ALSO MORE HUMANE THAN WHAT WERE
DOING TODAY.
>> BEFORE I LET YOU GO, CURIOUS
OF YOUR REACTION TO SENATOR
HARRIS CRITICISM OF VICE
PRESIDENT BIDENS RECORD IN THE 70s, PARTICULARLY ON THE ISSUE
OF BUSSING.
OF BUSSING.
IM CURIOUS OF YOUR REACTION TO IT AND WHETHER YOU THOUGHTN TO
IT AND WHETHER YOU THOUGHT SENATOR HARRIS WAS BRINGING UP A
RELEVANT POINT.
RELEVANT POINT.
>> OH, OF COURSE.
I THINK THATS RELEVANT.
I THINK THE RECORD OF ALL OF THE
CANDIDATES THAT ARE RUNNING,
INCLUDING VICE PRESIDENT BIDENS
RECORD, IS RELEVANT.
AND HIS STANCE ON BUSSING IS RELEVANT AS WELL. BUSSING IS
RELEVANT AS WELL. I THOUGHT THAT, YOU KNOW, HIS --
WHAT I TOOK AS HIS POSITION
BEING THAT HE ALLOWED LOCAL COMMUNITIES TO MAKE A DECISION,
ESSENTIALLY RELYING ON STATES
RIGHTS.
RIGHTS.
I THINK HES GOING TO HAVE TO
CONTINUE TO EXPLAIN WHY THAT WAS A GOOD POSITION BECAUSE, YOU WAS
A GOOD POSITION BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WEVE HAD VERY PAINFUL
HISTORY IN THIS COUNTRY OF
TRYING TO DESEGREGATE
COMMUNITIES.
COMMUNITIES.
WHEN I WAS AT HUD, ONE OF THE THINGS IM MOST PROUD OF IS WE
PASSED THE MOST GROUND BREAKING
RULE SINCE THE FAIR HOUSING ACT
IN 1968 TO FURTHER HELP
DESEGREGATE AMERICAN
COMMUNITIES.
SO THAT PAIN IS STILL THERE IN
THIS COUNTRY, AND HES GOING TO
HAVE TO ADDRESS THAT NOT ONLY IN
THE DEBATE, BUT I THINK GOING FORWARD.TE, BUT I THINK GOING
FORWARD.
>> JULIAN CASTRO, FORMER HOUSING
SECRETARY, FORMER MAYOR OF SAN
ANTONIO, THANKS FOR COMING ON,