Later on Tuesday, at a rally in Austin, Trump appeared to shift his emphasis to dealing with illegal immigrants who commit crimes in the United States.
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Instead, Trump will tape a town hall event – also on Fox News – Tuesday night in Texas. Moderator Sean Hannity asked the Republican presidential nominee if he would change any statute to accommodate law-abiding citizens or those with children.
“There certainly can be a softening because we’re not looking to hurt people”, Trump replied. “We want people – we have some great people in this country”.
Trump said he was going to focus on getting rid of the “bad ones” when it comes to illegal immigrants, rather than worry about getting rid of all of them.
This strategy marks a sudden change for the Republican nominee, who has presented himself as a politically incorrect outsider who is not afraid to take extreme measures to combat illegal immigration, such as deporting 11 million people or constructing a massive wall along the southern border.
Trump also told the Fox News host that he would not make use of detention centers, though it’s as yet unclear where undocumented immigrants would be held if he were to use a deportation task force to round them up.
“I’m not flip flopping”, Trump said of his dramatically shifting policy proposals.
The latest Reuters/Ipsos poll showed Democrat Hillary Clinton expanding her lead over Trump to 12 points among likely voters, with 45 percent support to 33 percent for Trump.
By promising to essentially stick to the current immigration process, Trump might be walking back his controversial illegal immigration plan.
In a policy speech scheduled for Thursday, Trump is expected to outline his new approach – whatever that may be.
At his Austin event, attended by thousands who packed a rodeo arena, some were shouting: “Build the wall” long before Trump even showed up, a reference to the NY businessman’s oft-stated promise to build a wall along the US with Mexico and make Mexico pay for it. The difference? “More energy”, Trump says.
“I think those are issues that will continue to be worked out in the days ahead”, Pence said.
“He’s wrestling with how to do that”, Sessions said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation” of how Trump might “humanely” remove 11 million people from the country.
Later in the interview, Trump again explained how this group of people would be treated.
The Indiana governor said people who have “run afoul of the law” need to leave the country immediately, but the details of how will be worked out with Congress in the future. “People that are here unlawfully came into the country against our laws (and) are subject to being removed”.
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O’Reilly said that he suggested detention centres because Trump had previously likened his plans to mass deportations carried out during the 1950s under President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
