While much of the focus of Wednesday’s speech was on illegal immigrants, Trump also emphasized America’s right to be selective in whom it lets into the country, reinforcing the motivations behind his call for banning Muslims.
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“We only want to admit those into our country who share our values and love our people”, Trump said. “So anyone who thinks that he won’t get to you eventually is mistaken”, said Latino Action Network President Chris Estevez.
Standing next to Pena Nieto, Trump said ending illegal immigration, not just from Mexico to the US but also from Central America into Mexico, would increase prosperity for both countries if they worked together.
“People will know you can’t just smuggle in, hunker down and wait to be legalised”.
“And then we’re going to make a decision at a later date once everything is stabilized”, Trump told the talk show host.
Tim Kaine says Donald Trump “caved” and “choked” by failing to discuss his demands that Mexico pay for a border wall during his meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
“We will build a great wall along the southern border”, Trump said. That seemed odd, given that Trump vows at virtually every stop that he will force Mexico to pay for it.
But in a lengthy and fiery address on immigration in Phoenix hours later, the Republican nominee asserted in no uncertain terms that Mexico would indeed pay for a border wall. The backlash increased throughout the day as Pena Nieto stood by Trump in an address to the media where the candidate remained firm on a proposed border wall and played the role of statesman with such pearls as “Mexicans are incredible!”
Payan hypothesized that Pena Nieto had little good news to give in his state-of-the-nation address scheduled for Thursday and was looking for a distraction with the “ill-advised” meeting.
“Today was the first part of the discussion and a relationship builder between Trump and President Pena Nieto”.
Even as he beat a retreat from his earlier pledge to deport all illegal immigrants from the country, Trump’s aggressive tone in Phoenix marked a shift from earlier in the day.
The speech was a shock to many following what was understood to be a relatively friendly private sit-down with Peña Nieto – a win for many in the Latino pro-Trump camp.
No wonder Trump’s immigration speech was delayed a week.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, Aug. 31, 2016.
Trump insisted again Thursday his immigration proposal is “humane” and “softening”.
Left unanswered by Trump: What would happen to those who have not committed crimes beyond their immigration offenses? “Can’t do it”, said Trump on Wednesday. “Anyone who has entered the United States illegally is subject to deportation”. That is what it means to have laws and to have a country. This would be his way of carrying out his proposed ban on Muslims from some countries without getting into their religious affiliation.
Kaine also says Trump’s casting of Mexican immigrants as criminals is similar to past discrimination against Irish and Jewish people.
But it wasn’t all bad news for Trump. Trump’s answer Wednesday was to try to muddy the message a bit; his visit with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto earlier in the day included a claim that the two leaders hadn’t discussed payment for a border wall. However, he offered only a mild rebuke of Trump for his rhetoric.
“I felt so cool, I felt so excited”. Trump has been pilloried in Mexico since he launched his White House campaign a year ago. “Not going to work that way”, Trump said.
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In his annual state-of-the-nation report, and in a video broadcast before he took questions, Pena Nieto mostly tried to put forth a rosier vision for Mexico.
