NBC News " Meet The Press" - Transcript : Immigration
Interview
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CONGRESSMAN CASTRO:
Well, the first thing is in Texas, we don't have sanctuary cities. In fact, there is no legal definition of a sanctuary city. As you know, Chuck and Raul, that term has often been used pejoratively.
CHUCK TODD:
But there are cities that have passed laws--
CONGRESSMAN CASTRO:
Absolutely.
CHUCK TODD:
That talk about what can be turned over to ICE, the immigration enforcement agency of the federal government, and when should people that are picked up not be turned over to ICE, correct?
CONGRESSMAN CASTRO:
No, you're right about that. But I do think that the focus on the relationship between the local and the federal government is the wrong one.
CHUCK TODD:
Is it broken though?
CONGRESSMAN CASTRO:
Absolutely. The whole system is broken. But the focus should be on the question of who are you going to allow to stay here and obtain legal status? And who are you going to deport
CHUCK TODD:
I want to get to this undocumented issue and the 12 million. But I also want to get to border security. So I want to understand--
CONGRESSMAN CASTRO:
Sure.
CHUCK TODD:
Do me a favor, define amnesty?
CONGRESSMAN CASTRO:
I think amnesty is no questions asked. Anybody who's here gets allowed to stay. That you don't vet people. That you don't prioritize criminals versus others.
CHUCK TODD:
What do you think of that definition?
CONGRESSMAN LABRADOR:
I disagree. Amnesty's giving somebody the benefit of their illegal action, the benefit of what they were seeking. That's amnesty.
CHUCK TODD:
So understand that, then on the 12 million, any path to even legalization is going to be defined as amnesty by the Republicans? Am I right?
CONGRESSMAN LABRADOR:
It could be. That's why we need to deal with the issue that actually Trump is talking about. That's why people are so excited about what he's saying, even though I don't agree with the way he's saying it. People are concerned that we have a broken immigration system. We have a border that is broken. We have a visa system that is broken.
They want those issues to be solved first. The American people are rational people. They're good people. They're going to decide what to do with the 11 million once they feel safe and secure in their homeland. Right now they don't.
CHUCK TODD:
What do you think about doing it in that order? You've been more open minded about that than others. Other democrats haven't been.
CONGRESSMAN CASTRO:
I would say we're open to seeing any sequence, at this point, on immigration reform, whether it starts with border security or something else. We just haven't seen it. They have literally passed nothing since they've taken the majority.
CONGRESSMAN LABRADOR:
That's not true. Joaquin keeps saying that. We passed an immigration bill three years ago. That I was one of the chief drivers of it. That was going to deal with the high-tech immigration issues. It passed the House overwhelmingly with most Republicans voting for it. It went to the Senate. And the president said he would veto it. And he said he would veto it, because there was no comprehensive immigration reform.
CHUCK TODD:
Why do you think there is so much, maybe it's fear, maybe it's concern? Why do you think it's out there? Is it economic driven? Is it rural versus urban? What is it?
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CONGRESSMAN CASTRO:
Well, I think the period we're in is no different than when the Germans came and experienced a lot of the same biases, when the Irish came and there were NINA signs that were up. Italians the same thing. The Chinese Exclusion Act. So we're in a period for Latinos and other immigrants that is similar to that. And I think that we will get past it. But it is a fear of the unknown. And it's also exacerbated by people unfortunately like Donald Trump that are stoking that for political gain and political purposes.
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