Republican presidential candidate Bobby Jindal responded to Hillary Clinton surrogate Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, Monday morning after Castro took a shot at the governor’s language on immigration.
While campaigning in Iowa on Sunday in support of Clinton, Castro criticized Jindal’s repeated line that immigration without assimilation is “invasion.” The Texas congressman called the rhetoric “very disturbing.”
“Now ask yourself this, who gets to decide whether somebody’s assimilated enough? Who gets to decide if someone speaks English perfectly enough, so that they’re truly American? Or if the color of their skin fits the color of America?” Castro said.
In response, Jindal fired back with this press release provided in advance to NBC News: “Yesterday on CBS, I said those who come here should want to be Americans—they should assimilate, roll up their sleeves and get to work.”
“I said that immigration without assimilation is invasion. When did it become politically incorrect to say immigrants should want to be Americans?” Jindal asked.
Castro challenged the Louisiana Governor directly while taking questions from a group of about 35 Latinos in a Mexican restaurant in southern Des Moines.
Jindal -- who consistently uses the “immigration without assimilation is invasion” line in his stump speech often to large applause -- took the opportunity to hit Clinton hard as well.
“What part of my statement about immigration without assimilation does Hillary Clinton disagree with? Does she think that people who come here shouldn’t have to learn English and adopt our values? Or that they shouldn’t get to work? Who is Hillary Clinton defending? Who is she trying to protect?” Jindal added.
On Sunday, Castro not only singled out Jindal for criticism; he also hit back at Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.
