In a surprise move, Donald Trump will travel to Mexico on Wednesday to meet with President Enrique Pena Nieto, just hours before the Republican delivers a highly anticipated speech on immigration.
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Not much is known about his plans for the immigration speech besides what he posted on Twitter last night.
That tension – between pleasing the Republican base and expanding it – has played out in recent weeks within the Trump campaign. Joni Ernst’s “Roast and Ride” were an illustration of the pivot he is attempting — from his promise during the primaries to deport all undocumented immigrants, to a new narrowed focus on immigrant criminals.
Donald Trump said rival Hillary Clinton will push regulations and high taxes that will hurt family farmers as he campaigned in Iowa, an agricultural state that remains a presidential election battleground.
“Nobody believes that the political class, from the president on down, will actually enforce the immigration laws in the future any better than they’ve been enforced in the past”, Mark Krikorian, with the Center for Immigration Stories, said.
But a senior campaign adviser said Monday that “conversation” on what to do with undocumented immigrations will come after efforts are made to tighten security on the border.
Immigration issues dominated the Sunday talk shows as Trump’s surrogates, led by running mate Mike Pence, discussed his approach. In recent weeks, he has been “softening” – the very word he has used to describe it and a couple of times – with talk of not engaging a “deportation force” and setting “humane” priorities that focus on deporting the “bad ones”. Many of his political allies have tried to avoid getting pinned down on that question, insisting that the question can not be answered until the borders are enforced. Moreover, the safest course for him politically may be to continue to obfuscate on immigration policy to avoid antagonize either side of the debate. “We recognize and respect the right of any country to build a physical barrier or wall on any of its borders to stop the illegal movement of people, drugs and weapons”.
That was Trump last week.
“For the 11 million people, come on, folks”, Kasich said to Trump.
Now Trump insists that the aspect of his plan that really matters is his pledge to secure the border.
Pressed on the question, Priebus replied: “I just don’t speak for Donald Trump”.
Trump used a December event in Mesa to call for a halt to illegal immigration. You have to get rid of the criminals certainly, first and foremost.
“You have to start with baby steps”, he added. “We have no choice”.
Trump leaves open the option of using other methods to coerce Mexico, including “trade tariffs, or enforcement of existing trade rules”, “cancelling visas” and “visa fees”. “We look at our whole immigration system and see whether that works and makes sense”. He explained that he’s been talking to “thousands and thousands” of people on this subject.
Trump did not explain how his plan would affect undocumented residents who have been in the United States for decades and obeyed USA laws.
“I guess that depends on the day you ask”, Josh Earnest, White House press secretary, said.
Brazile on Clinton Foundation: Donna Brazile, interim chair of the Democratic National Committee, said Sunday that recently released emails showing government access for Clinton Foundation donors don’t indicate any wrongdoing, reports CBS News. “And this is not a simple question”, said Priebus, who’s had a hard relationship with Trump. “I’m changing. We need highly skilled people in this country, and if we can’t do it, we’ll get them in”.
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Trump’s first tweet about the shooting ended this way: “Just what I have been saying”. Of the 11 million deportations, he said, “there is a very good chance the answer could be yes”. Nothing’s ever going to happen.
