Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff is hitting the campaign trail with a former presidential candidate and Obama administration official who embraces a progressive stance on immigration. Julián Castro made national headlines when he advocated for the repeal of Section 1325 during a Democratic presidential primary debate. Section 1325 of Title 8 of the United States Code makes illegal immigration a federal crime. Castro said that the statute should be repealed, which would deem illegal immigration only a civil offense.
“I want to challenge all of the candidates to do that,” Castro said at the time. “If you truly want to change the system then we have to repeal that section.”
Castro was among the most radical in the Democratic primary on the issue of immigration. The repeal of Section 1325 goes hand-in-hand with the push for sanctuary cities, which Ossoff himself indicated his support for back in June; he said that local law enforcement should not enforce federal immigration laws, which poses a danger to legal residents.
“I don’t think it’s the role of local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law, and here’s why. It is important that there be bonds of trust between local law enforcement and local communities,” Ossoff said in June. “We can’t live in a society where people are afraid to call the police while someone’s being assaulted in their home, because everyone’s going to get their papers checked when the local PD arrives.”
Ossoff continues to pitch himself as a mainstream Democrat, as he hopes to unseat an incumbent GOP senator, while embracing support from far-left radicals, including Castro, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Sen. Bernie Sanders.