Julian Castro in Interviews during 2017-2019

On Civil Rights: Supports reparations commission, we need healing process

If we compensate people under our Constitution, if we take their property [as cited in the 5th Amendment], why wouldn't you compensate people who actually were considered property? I support legislation that Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) introduced that would appoint a commission to study reparations, and make a recommendation to the president. I think of this in the way that I think of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa. There's a healing process that needs to happen. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Drugs: Crack down on traffickers of dangerous drugs like fentanyl

I would make sure we have harsh penalties against people who traffic in fentanyl and similar drugs. We need to make smart investments in our ports of entry so that we can crack down further on the trafficking of fentanyl and other drugs. One thing that I believe we should do is to better invest in security at our ports of entry so that we can do things like catch more of the fentanyl that is coming through. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Drugs: Legalize and regulate marijuana; expunge criminal records

I actually support the legalization of marijuana. It's going to be regulated, right? People are not going to be able to do whatever they want, but a well-regulated, legalized system of marijuana, I think, makes sense. On top of that, we need to go back and expunge the records of people who were imprisoned because of using marijuana. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Education: Invest in public schools, pre-K through higher ed

The thing that I'm most proud of was that when I was mayor of San Antonio, we took to the voters a ballot initiative to raise the sales tax by an eighth of a cent to expand high quality full-day Pre-K for our 4-year-olds. Science is very clear that if you have a dollar to invest in education, the best time to invest it is when a child is young. We need universal Pre-K for 3- and 4-year-olds in our country.

We have to improve K-12 education by investing in our public schools, paying teachers what they deserve, making sure that the needs of a child can be met at the school that they attend. We need to make higher education universal, so that people can go to a public university, community college, and apprenticeship program, some sort of job training program, at least tuition free so that everybody gets the knowledge and the skills that they need to compete.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Energy & Oil: Cut carbon emissions; invest in renewable energy

I would recommit the United States to the Paris climate accord. I like the concept of a Green New Deal. We need to invest in renewable energy. We need to drastically cut down carbon emissions. We need to convince other countries around the world to do the same thing.

I'm proud that when I was secretary of housing and urban development, we worked with housing authorities across the United States to improve their embrace of renewable energy, solar energy, other types of renewable energy.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Foreign Policy: 21st century Marshall Plan for Central and Latin America

We need a 21st century Marshall Plan for Central and Latin America, because the problem is that folks can't find safety and opportunity in Honduras or El Salvador or Guatemala [the "Northern Triangle" which is the source of most refugees top the U.S.]. If we can partner with those countries so that people can find safety and opportunity there, instead of having to come and knock on the door of the United States, you know, that's what they want. That is going to be better for those countries. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Foreign Policy: Rebuild alliances & reclaim role as world leader

I would repair the damage that this president has done to alliances around the world that have helped keep us safer. My first order of business would be to make sure that we repair those alliances. The country has a role to lead for the values that we believe in, for freedom, democracy, and opportunity. That doesn't mean that we entangle ourselves in wars. However, we need to reclaim our role as the world leader in standing up for things like human rights around the world. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Free Trade: Protect American workers but take part in global economy

We live in a 21st century global economy. We need to make sure that we always protect our American workers and companies, that they benefit by whatever we do in terms of trade. But we are going to compete in a 21st century global economy, and we need to do that effectively. We're going to crack down on people who cheat. Before we enter into any kind of trade agreement, we want to make sure that we have tougher environmental standards, labor standards, and enforcement standards. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Government Reform: Require candidates to release tax returns

I support making it a requirement by statute, Congress passing a law that requires people who are running for president to submit 10 years of their tax returns. It is astonishing that this president still has not released his taxes. I look forward to releasing 10 years of my tax returns. If you have nothing to hide, then there should be no problem releasing those tax returns. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Government Reform: We need election security against foreign interference

We need a standard for cybersecurity for our elections. It is absolutely amazing that in county after county they have different voting machines, different standards for how they handle information. There's no one uniform standard to ensure that there's absolute security and integrity of the franchise. I would fund communities to be able to upgrade their equipment. I think that we need to create a paper trail, so that have a check on how people voted. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Gun Control: Sensible gun laws, and address mental health issues

I have been a strong supporter of commonsense gun reform. We need to make background checks universal. There's no reason that somebody who has committed domestic violence should ever get their hands on a gun. We also need to limit the capacity of magazines.

I also support looking at this issue of gun violence more broadly. We need to invest in mental health as part of health care. It's about things like mental health that touch on what leads people to use guns in a bad way.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Health Care: Medicare for all, but allow private insurance

I want to make sure that we strengthen Medicare for the people who are on it and that we provide Medicare to everybody who wants it in this country, so that everybody can have the opportunity to get Medicare. If somebody wants to have their own private health insurance plan, they ought to have that. What I don't believe is that anybody should go without health care or that the profit motive should ever keep somebody from getting the care they need. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Immigration: Asylum seekers have the right to be heard

We need to stop playing games with people who are seeking asylum. I don't think that we should treat them as criminals. Until about 2004, we treated somebody crossing the border as a civil violation, not a criminal one. They still have to come to court. We still monitor them. We still have the option to deport them. Most people who are seeking asylum may not get it, but some will, and we should hear their claims.

I don't believe the narrative that people who are coming to our southern border, these families, women and children, that they represent a threat to our country. We should choose compassion even as we maintain a secure border. When it comes to our DREAMers and it comes to other undocumented immigrants, I believe in a pathway to citizenship. That includes not only DREAMers, but people with temporary protected status, whom this president has put a target on their back.

Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On War & Peace: Don't entangle ourselves in wars, but rebuild alliances

My first order of business would be to make sure that we repair our alliances around the world that have helped keep us safer. The country has a role to lead for the values that we believe in, for freedom, democracy, and opportunity. That doesn't mean that we entangle ourselves in wars. We saw what can happen when we make a mistake, like the Iraq war. However, we need to reclaim our role as the world leader in standing up for things like human rights around the world. Source: CNN Town Hall: 2020 presidential hopefuls Apr 11, 2019

On Abortion: Opposed Texas blocking abortions after 20 weeks

Castro opposed Texas legislation to prevent abortions in the state after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Source: Townhall.com: "The 2020 Democrats" (presidential hopefuls) Feb 4, 2019

On Free Trade: Renegotiate NAFTA to protect workers & environment

Castro wishes to renegotiate the NAFTA trade deal in order to provide more protections for workers and the environment. Source: Townhall.com: "The 2020 Democrats" (presidential hopefuls) Feb 4, 2019

On Gun Control: Supports background checks at gun shows & assault weapon ban

Castro wants to ensure that background checks and waiting periods are enforced at gun shows. He supported Sen. Dianne Feinstein's, D-Calif., push for an "assault weapons ban." The bill sought to regulate the ownership of semiautomatic weapons, which include any weapon that only requires the release of its trigger to reload. It also targeted weapons with detachable magazine and certain grips. Source: Townhall.com: "The 2020 Democrats" (presidential hopefuls) Feb 4, 2019

On Health Care: Would tax the richest to fund Medicare for All

Castro supports the "Medicare for All" system, and wishes to tax the rich "0.05, 0.5 or 1 percent" of citizens in order to fund it. Source: Townhall.com: "The 2020 Democrats" (presidential hopefuls) Feb 4, 2019

On Immigration: Against funding border wall

According to his campaign website, Castro said, "It's about separating our country from the rest of the world and cowering in fear. This is not how most Americans want us to behave--neither building a wall nor shutting down the government. Let us be clear: Any bill to fund the government must not include any funding for a wall at our southern border. Democrats in Congress should not buckle to the tyrant's demands." Source: Townhall.com: "The 2020 Democrats" (presidential hopefuls) Feb 4, 2019

On Tax Reform: Raise the top marginal tax rate; negotiate the numbers

Q: What about the GOP tax cuts?

A: I absolutely would look at undoing the tax cuts that benefited the super wealthy and benefited corporations.

Q: Would you raise the top marginal tax rate?

A: I support raising it. We would have to negotiate on where that goes. They did a poll: 45% of Republicans said that they believe the idea of that kind of top marginal tax rate was a good idea. So, I believe that we should increase it. Now, where it goes to, I think that would be a subject of negotiation.

Source: CNN 2019 "State of the Union" on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Jan 27, 2019

On Abortion: Allow abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy

Castro is a Roman Catholic who supports legal abortion access and gay rights. He vigorously opposed a Texas law to ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy and limit facilities and access to abortions in general. Castro has long supported same-sex marriage, serving as Grand Marshal of the 2009 San Antonio Gay Pride parade. In 2017, he tweeted that the military should allow Americans of all gender identities to serve in the military. Source: PBS News hour on 2020 Presidential hopefuls Jan 12, 2019