Trump’s latest repositioning Monday on the question of legal status came one day after key campaign surrogates and his running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, gave conflicting answers about whether the nominee’s immigration plan still includes mass deportations.
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When asked if some of the 11 million undocumented immigrants could stay, Trump replied, “It could be but what’s going to happen is if you’re going to be a citizen, you’re going to leave and you’re going to have to come back”.
In contrast with Pence’s lack of response, top Trump supporter Rudy Giuliani said on Sunday that Donald Trump is not intending on deporting all undocumented immigrants anymore.
Five days ago, Trump said that undocumented immigrants who have committed no other crimes would have “one route and one route only” to legal status: “To return home and apply for reentry like everybody else, under the rules of the new legal immigration system that I have outlined”.
“And if you talk to younger people, the next generation of Americans, they completely reject the kinds of positions that he’s taking”, President Obama said in the interview which was recorded before his travel to Asia.
The president said it was important to “pay close attention” when there was a rise in intolerance and calls for “banning certain classes of people”, a clear allusion to Trump’s call past year to ban all Muslims from entering the country “until we find out what’s going on”. Muir asked. “I’m going to make a decision, or somebody will”.
You might have missed it, but Donald Trump tried making another “pivot” in his immigration policy this week. Our message to the world will be this: “You can not obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country”, he said then.
Undocumented immigrants who do not wish to become citizens, though, will “have to make a determination what happens when the border is secure”, said Mr. Trump. Through the process you’re going to have to get on line.
While Trump said unequivocally in his immigration address last week that undocumented immigrants could not obtain legal status without leaving the USA, he did not reissue his call for deporting all undocumented immigrants.
Muir followed up, asking about undocumented immigrants who did not want to become citizens of the U.S.
“Then and only then will we be in a position to consider the appropriate disposition of those individuals who remain”, Trump said.
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Donald Trump spoke to a small group of reporters on Monday aboard his plane.
