O’Rourke backs immigrants in Texas kickoff

EL PASO, Texas (AP) – Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke has told 1,000-plus supporters near the Texas-Mexico border that immigrants make the country stronger.

Formally kicking off his campaign in his hometown of El Paso on Saturday, O’Rourke offered support for unapologetically liberal positions, including backing federal legalization of marijuana. He promised to strengthen unions nationwide, make it easier to register to vote and end U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The former congressman again vowed to work with Republicans, saying that a unified campaign will help him win his party’s 2020 nomination and “defeat Donald Trump.”

President Donald Trump has threatened to shutter the U.S.-Mexico border to combat a rise in the number of immigrants crossing.

Speaking mere blocks from the border, O’Rourke said, “We have learned not to fear our differences but to respect and embrace them.”