Thread by @susiedrapes

THREAD: I’ve seen Julián Castro on TV since the debate saying what happened on stage w/ Beto wasn’t personal & was just a policy disagreement. Here’s the problem with that—he’s misrepresenting Beto’s position & is well aware @BetoORourke has done his homework. Let me explain...

On @Morning_Joe the next day Castro talked about @BetoORourke & said, "If you're not calling for the repeal of that section [1352] that means that basically you're gonna keep the status quo & you're gonna allow family separation."

That’s NOT TRUE & not what #Beto2020 supports.

Next, on @TheView, Castro said Beto’s plan would keep family separation in place because you’d still be incarcerating the parents & separating them from their children. This is also FALSE. It sounds to me like Castro didn’t do his homework. Did he even read @BetoORourke’s plan?

In nearly every interview I’ve seen Castro do since Thurs he’s said we shouldn’t be “criminalizing desperation.” You know who agrees with that statement? @BetoORourke. But according to Julián we’re supposed to believe Beto won’t end family separation? It’s just not true.

It’s also important to point out that the Castro bros are very much aware of @BetoORourke’s work on immigration & border issues. In fact, Joaquin & Beto were co-sponsors of the #KeepFamiliesTogether Act, which would've ended family separation. Here he is on the House floor👇🏻

And the Castro bros also know that @BetoORourke led a march last year to the Tornillo tent camp to raise awareness about the mistreatment & detention of kids who’d been separated & that he continued to return to the camp until all of the kids were released & it was shut down.

.@BetoORourke & Joaquin went to Tornillo together. The Castro bros even went on a road trip w/ Beto to 5 border cities to support him in the Senate race. They know how much he cares about this issue. So, it was disingenuous at best to say he should “do his homework.” #Beto2020

So, why’d Julián say it? My guess is it was a way to get in a memorable one liner that’d make people think he was tough, cast doubt on @BetoORourke’s immigration plan & make him seem superior. And some in the media, it seems, are rewarding this behavior & taking his word for it?

Some in the media are letting Julián’s assertion slide even though most of them know that @BetoORourke has been at the forefront of the fight against family separation since it began, and a fierce advocate for undocumented immigrants long before that. #Beto2020

And even though @BetoORourke has said he’ll end family separation & rewrite 1325 so those seeking asylum & refuge won’t be criminalized & his plan clearly says only those w/ criminal backgrounds who may pose a danger to us will be detained, they...what? Think he’s making it up?🤔

Does anybody honestly believe that @BetoORourke—a man who was born & raised on the border in El Paso, & represented a district in congress that is 80% Hispanic, with 25% of its residents not born in the US—doesn’t know what’s happening on the ground?

Does anybody really believe that @BetoORourke served on the Homeland Security Committee, introduced & cosponsored immigration legislation, and worked his heart out advocating for kids in cages without doing his homework? If you’re being honest, the answer is no. #Beto2020

In 2018 Julián said @BetoORourke was “someone with integrity” & “honest” & would “earnestly” serve the people “instead of his own personal ambitions.” So, I was pretty surprised Castro came at him the way he did with that flippant homework line when it’s clear they just disagree.

Essentially, Julián is falsely claiming @BetoORourke won’t end family separation & doesn’t understand immigration law, which isn’t true. And this is why Castro saying it’s just a policy difference & not personal doesn’t ring true. That & the fact that on Friday he said this👇🏻

The “I am THE Texan in this race” comment coupled w/ other digs, plus the fact he’s polling 25 pnts ⬇️ Beto in TX & saw his own star power fade a bit when @BetoORourke ran for Senate all make it seem pretty personal to me🤷🏼‍♀️, but I’ll leave it to you to make your own conclusions.

.@BetoORourke has the right idea to try and keep the focus on the actual issue at hand. On Sunday, he said we shouldn’t “play politics or try to score points over ensuring our immigration system reflects our values....” And I think we can all agree on that. #Beto2020

.@BetoORourke’s immigration plan ENDS family separation, REUNITES those who’ve been separated, PROHIBITS private & for-profit prisons & immigration facilities, STOPS detention of those who pose no harm to us, & comprehensively REWRITES our immigration & asylum laws. #Beto2020

.@BetoORourke won’t treat asylum seekers like criminals. He will mandate an end to family separations at the border & illegal policies like “metering” & “Remain in Mexico,” which lead to people trying to cross in dangerous places, like across the Rio Grande river.

.@BetoORourke will rescind Trump’s exec orders that seek to maximize detention & deportation, including former AG Sessions’ radical re-interpretation of asylum law that seeks to deny protection to women & children fleeing domestic violence & escaping from deadly gangs.

.@BetoORourke will implement a Family Case Management program so families who are of no risk to this country don’t have to stay in detention centers. In a pilot program 99% showed for ICE check-ins & appts, 100% for court hearings, & it’s cheaper for tax payers too. #Beto2020

And these things are just a fraction of what he plans to do to both overhaul the entire system in the U.S. & reduce violence & poverty in the Northern Triangle countries so people don’t have to flee in the first place. Please read @BetoORourke’s full plan: betoorourke.com/immigration