Julián Castro Criticizes Trump’s Border Policies, Warns of "Cruelty Part Two"

 

Former U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro has sharply criticized the border enforcement plans of President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, describing them as a continuation of cruel and dehumanizing policies toward migrants. Castro specifically targeted Tom Homan, Trump’s newly appointed “border czar,” for comments supporting the possible reinstatement of family detention centers and the separation of migrant families.

Appearing on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, Castro condemned Homan's approach to immigration enforcement, calling it emblematic of the administration’s disregard for the humanity of migrants. “It just shows you, again, the heart of cruelty, the dark heart that he and the Trump administration folks have for these migrants,” Castro said. “They like to dehumanize them.”

Homan, who previously served as acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), has outlined plans to reintroduce family detention centers, a practice ended during Joe Biden's presidency. He suggested that undocumented parents of U.S.-born children would need to make personal decisions about whether to remain together in detention.

Homan has attempted to frame the proposed facilities as more humane, describing them as “open-air campus” settings with childcare and educational provisions. However, he reiterated the administration’s pledge to eliminate “catch-and-release” policies, ensuring all migrants, including families, are detained while their cases are processed.

Castro, a Democrat and vocal advocate for humane immigration policies, argued that the incoming administration's plans ignore the dire conditions migrants face in their home countries. “They’re not picking up and leaving and moving somewhere thousands of miles away just on a whim,” he said, emphasizing that many migrants flee extreme violence, poverty, and hunger.

He criticized what he described as Homan’s “clinical and bureaucratic” perspective, accusing the Trump administration of being disconnected from the harsh realities faced by migrants.

The debate over immigration policy highlights a significant shift in tone and strategy as Trump’s administration prepares to take office. Critics, including Castro, warn that the reintroduction of family detention policies could exacerbate humanitarian crises and lead to widespread suffering.

Homan’s comments, alongside Trump’s broader immigration agenda, suggest a renewed focus on strict border enforcement—a move likely to deepen divisions over the treatment of migrants in the United States.