Sec. Julian Castro visits Mt. Pleasant, talks immigration

At 15 years old, Yarisbell Lorenzo Sanchez, of Mt. Pleasant, is not yet old enough to vote in the 2020 presidential election, but wanted to make sure her voice was heard by 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidate Sec. Julian Castro during an Immigration Town Hall on Sunday, July 14, at First Presbyterian Church.

Bullying stemming from anti-immigration stances has been prominent for her in school, she said. The teen has heard shouts of 'go back to Mexico” and various other phrases thrown her way. Lorenzo Sanchez, who is Puerto Rican, said this shows that people do not understand how immigration works and feels the Latino community as a whole is under attack.

Seeing Sec. Castro speak was a big moment for her, she said, because she felt that finally, someone was standing up for the benefit of the Latino community. By telling her story, she said, she hoped he would remember it and would take into consideration the inside look of how immigration is affecting students in school.

'I think that it's great. I think it was time for this to happen,” she said.

Her mother, Isabel Sanchez, of Mt. Pleasant, said she was proud of her daughter and her tenacity for standing up for the Latino community.

During the town hall, Sen. Castro addressed a number of things including his plan for immigration reform, dreamers and improving the citizenship process for immigrants.

Immigration reform

Sen. Castro said the first thing he would like to work on is a 21st century Marshall Plan with Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. He said many people are fleeing these countries because of the desperate circumstances they are in but by extending a helping hand and improving where they are, people can stay connected with their families.

'We want to make sure people can find safety and opportunity at home, instead of having to come to the United States to find that,” he said.

The second part to his plan is to help immigrants, who have not committed a serious crime, get on a path to citizenship. Deported veterans, also, are included in his plan and he would like to see them brought back to America to apply for citizenship and continue living their lives.

Dreamers

Creating permanent legislation for dreamers, those who depend on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy, is a prioirty. Sec. Castro said he is confident that in 2021 there will be a Democratic president, house and senate. He said smililar legislation was written but stopped before it made it to President Barack Obama's desk in 2013.

Making sure dreamers are safe and not deported and ending detention centers is a priority. He said coming to America to seek asylum is not a crime and he will not treat it as such.

Improving the citizenship process

David Suarez, of Mt. Pleasant, sat down and spoke to Sec. Castro during the town hall. He said that for him to become a legal citizen, $20,000 was racked up in legal fees. He felt this process needed to be improved and simplified for people to become citizens.

Sec. Castro agreed, and said his plan is to revamp the visa system to strengthen family reunification and make the process affordable. He said 90 percent of people seeking asylum in the U.S. are doing so because they have family there. Reuniting families, especially children and parents, he said, is crucial.