It is nearly like Donald Trump is ever so slightly beginning to understand that immigration policy requires more than building a wall.
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As the Republican presidential nominee spoke at a town hall Wednesday with Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity, Trump offered up what seemed to be a softening of his previous hard-line approach to illegal immigration. “We’re going to get them out”.
For example, Bush wrote in a 2013 book on immigration reform that he supported “a path to earned legal status, not citizenship” where undocumented immigrants could obtain “a provisional work permit, where they pay taxes, they pay a fine, they learn English, they work”.
His new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, told CNN on Sunday that Trump’s proposed “deportation force” for the 11 million people in the United States illegally was “to be determined”. “What I’m doing is following the law.We’re going to obey the existing laws”.
In the first month of his campaign, Trump vowed to deport all undocumented immigrants and then allow “the good ones” to reenter legally.
In an interview with Bloomberg reporter Joshua Green, bits of which he leaked on Twitter, Coulter compared her “blind loyalty” for Trump to that of Kim Jung-un’s subjects. “Guess we won’t need Mexico to build that wall”. But you can’t round up and deport 11, 10, nine million people. “I think he panicked and he had to say [it]. I’ve had people say it’s a hardening, actually”.
Trump indicated in a town hall with Fox News’ Sean Hannity, which aired Wednesday night, that he would be in favor of a path to legalization for immigrants in the US illegally. “That’s the one thing we know about a Trump presidency”. But he added, “Let me go a step further – they’ll pay back-taxes; they have to pay taxes; there’s no amnesty, as such, there’s no amnesty, but we work with them”. But even Trump acknowledged Tuesday there “could certainly be a softening, because we’re not looking to hurt people”.
Clinton’s campaign called Trump’s plan “dangerous” in a statement Thursday night.
Following a staff shake-up last week amid worsening poll numbers against Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, Trump has sought to move to the center at least rhetorically in a number of areas, including immigration. Citing an independent analysis, she also claimed Trump’s ideas would cost 3.4 million jobs while her plan would create over 10 million new jobs.
Many African- American leaders and voters have dismissed Trump’s message – delivered to predominantly white rally audiences – as condescending and more meant to reassure undecided white voters that he’s not racist than actually help communities of color. “You know, I might like the first way better”, Trump said. Hillary Clinton’s connections between her political life and the global foundation that she and her husband launched are being questioned in light of her presidential bid. “I call on Hillary Clinton to disavow this video and her campaign for this sickening act that has no place in our world”, he said.
“Look, when you launch your campaign saying Mexican immigrants are rapists, drug dealers and murderers, I don’t know there’s a lot you can say to recover”, said Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez of IL. Up until late June, Trump’s campaign was primarily self-funded. All I can tell you: “I can only speak for myself”.
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Now, in the wake of the Orlando nightclub shooting and the endorsement he received from the NRA, he says he wants to meet with the gun-rights group to discuss possible ways to prevent people on terrorist watch lists from buying guns. There’s broad consensus on that across parties, I believe, including among many border hawks – but less so among Trump and his nationalist fans, who want all illegals out as a matter of national sovereignty and cultural preservation.
