Sanders campaign manager thanks Castro for ‘leadership’ on immigration

Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) presidential campaign manager on Thursday praised 2020 Democratic rival Julián Castro for his “leadership” on immigration issues.

The note of praise came after Sanders unveiled a comprehensive immigration plan on Thursday, including calling for the decriminalization of border crossings, an issue that had previously been advocated by Castro, the former Housing and Urban Development secretary.

“Section 1325 is a shameful part of our legal code, written by a white supremacist Senator in the 1920s,” Castro tweeted, referencing Section 1325 of Title 8 of the U.S. Code, which bars entering the U.S. anywhere but an authorized port of entry. “I’m happy to see @BernieSanders join me in saying it should be repealed.”

{mosads}“Thank you for your leadership on this issue, @JulianCastro,” Faiz Shakir, Sanders’ campaign manager responded.

Thank you for your leadership on this issue, @JulianCastro https://t.co/hmAoLkhodv

— Faiz (@fshakir) November 7, 2019

In the June Democratic presidential debate, Castro had denounced the criminalization of border crossings. 

“The reason they’re separating these children from their families is that they’re using Section 1325 of [the Immigration and Nationality Act], which criminalizes coming across the border, to incarcerate the parents and then separate them,” Castro said in June.

The senator referenced by Castro, Coleman Livingston Blease (D-S.C.), was an open proponent of lynching and once introduced a resolution condemning first lady Lou Hoover’s invitation of an African American congressman’s wife to the White House.

Sanders endorsed the repeal of Section 1325 in an immigration plan released Thursday, while also pledging to undo a number of Trump’s immigration actions.