Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke reaffirmed his stance that he would not criminally prosecute migrants and asylum seekers who cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally and called for the nation’s immigration laws to be changed.
MSNBC host Chris Matthews asked the former Texas congressman about his proposal to decriminalize border crossings after CNN kicked off the second set of Democratic primary debates on Tuesday.
“I will not criminally prosecute, and will change the law to reflect this, anyone seeking refuge or asylum or shelter in this country,” O’Rourke said. “But if we rewrite this country’s immigration laws, give you a safe, orderly, lawful path to work a job here or join your family, if we help those countries in Central America that are having such a hard time, then I expect of you to respect our laws, and we will reserve the right to criminally prosecute those who do not follow our laws.”
[Read: Beto backers keep the faith and blame media for candidate struggles]
O’Rourke’s follow up comes after he was not the only candidate on the debate stage who tried to make the case to voters. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she would support decriminalizing illegal border crossings, and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said he believes Section 1325 of Title 8 of the U.S. code should be decriminalized in some cases.
Candidate Julián Castro, who will appear on the debate stage on Wednesday, was the first to call for the repeal of Section 1325 and to handle illegal crossings in civil courts instead of criminal ones.
“This shift to criminalize immigration is at the core of many of this administration’s most egregious immigration policies,” Castro explained. “Migration shouldn’t be a criminal justice issue. It’s time to end this draconian policy and return to treating immigration as a civil — not a criminal — issue.”
