Trump says in immigration speech that 11 million in U.S. illegally are not a main issue
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump points to the audience after delivering an immigration policy speech during a campaign rally at the Phoenix Convention Center.
PHOENIX >> Donald Trump tried to move past a week of vacillating on immigration, his signature issue, by asserting in a speech Wednesday that the question of what to do with 11 million people in the U.S illegally is not central to the problem.
“Anyone who tells you that the core issue is the needs of those living here illegally has simply spent too much time in Washington,” Trump said to cheers from thousands of supporters here at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Rather, Trump said that President Barack Obama’s and Hillary Clinton’s policies are to blame for “countless American” deaths at the hands of immigrants in the country illegally. He said the main problem with the immigration system is that it serves the needs of wealthy donors, interest groups and politicians. He warned that Clinton was planning to broadly expand her powers if elected, in defiance of the Constitution, to grant increased “executive amnesty.”
Trump’s immigration plan mirrored his foreign policy slogan: America first.
“We will be fair, just and compassionate to all,” he said. “But our greatest compassion must be for our American citizens.”
Trump, who has gone back and forth on his prior pledge to use a special force to round up the 11 million immigrants in the country without authorization, tried to reframe the debate with a new plan that includes what he termed a deportation task force, but said it would focus on those who have committed crimes. That’s similar to Obama’s current policy.
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Other parts of his plan, like adding 5,000 border patrol agents, echoes legislation that passed the U.S. Senate in 2013 that would have added 20,000 border agents, fourfold what Trump suggested. Trump was highly critical of that proposal during the Republican primary, singling out Florida Sen. Marco Rubio for his role in drafting it. The bill eventually died in Congress.
Other plans included his long-promised border wall. He did not specify whether it would be entirely a physical structure, which would be impractical and prohibitively expensive in many areas marked by natural geographic boundaries. He also reiterated his promise that Mexico would pay for the wall, something Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and other government officials have called a non-starter.
Trump’s speech capped a whirlwind day in which he made a last-minute stop in Mexico City to meet with Pena Nieto for an hour, intensifying attention on Trump’s sharp rhetoric on immigration and Mexican trade.
Trump’s immigration views rocketed him to the top of the GOP field and propelled him to the Republican nomination, but the issue has bedeviled him in the general election campaign. Only about 1 in 5 Latino voters supports him, according to a recent Fox News poll. Some strategists believe his sharp tone and unsparing policy proposals may also be dragging down his support among other groups of voters who recoil at the vision of rounding up 11 million immigrants who entered the country illegally.
Trump’s once-forceful views have grown muddy of late, as he has shifted between maintaining and what he referred to as “softening” his policy proposals.
Not only has Trump sold the issue of border enforcement as paramount to “having a country,” but he has also cast himself as an unwavering businessman who takes decisive action without the typical political calculation or waffling.
Trump delivered his speech in Arizona, the heart of some of the nation’s fiercest immigration fights but an unlikely place for a Republican to ease up on strong anti-immigration views. Droves of supporters began lining up outside the convention center in 102-degree heat, hours before Trump arrived.
Despite the focus on illegal immigration, the numbers are actually down. In fact, more Mexican immigrants and their children went back to Mexico from the U.S. between 2009 and 2014 than came to the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center.
Arizona is one of many traditionally conservative states in the West that has mainstream Republican strategists concerned about the GOP’s hard-line turn on immigration — both in this election and what it portends for the future.
Voters in Arizona have supported only one Democrat for president since 1952. But the state’s large and growing Latino population has put the state on the map for Democrats. Polls there show a tight race between Trump and Clinton.
So far, the polling elsewhere suggests that Trump has created doubt in voters’ minds about his position, and hasn’t reaped any significant benefit. In Wisconsin, for example, often a bellwether for presidential elections, a survey released Wednesday by the state’s best-known poll found that 47 percent of voters believed Trump had changed his position on how to handle immigrants in the country without legal authority. That compared with 39 percent who said his position had not changed and 13 percent who said they did not know.
The poll showed Trump’s overall support in the state stuck in the high 30s — it was 37 percent in the most recent poll, 36 percent in a survey in early August and 37 percent in July.
That tension — between pleasing the Republican base and expanding it — has played out in recent weeks within the Trump campaign.
Trump has whipsawed over whether he would truly attempt to deport the estimated 11 million immigrants who are here illegally, as he promised during the primary. At times, he has suggested he would focus on those who have committed crimes, a variation of Obama’s policy, which has faced harsh criticism from conservative commentators and voters.
Amid the wavering, Trump has fought charges that he now supports “amnesty,” a buzzword for hard-line immigration critics and one Trump used during the Republican primary to malign his rivals’ immigration policies.
Trump has insisted he would not retreat. But the sense of confusion has been magnified by Trump’s own actions, including a show of polling the room on the question during a Fox News town hall last week.
Hillary Clinton’s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, released a statement Wednesday recounting Trump’s inflammatory language toward Mexican immigrants and his promise to deport millions “including children and U.S. citizens.”
“What ultimately matters is what Donald Trump says to voters in Arizona, not Mexico, and whether he remains committed to the splitting up of families and deportation of millions,” she said.
30 responses to “Trump says in immigration speech that 11 million in U.S. illegally are not a main issue”
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The consensus is that Trump’s speech was was wildly successful and should be worth a good jump in the polls. The Donald is sounding more presidential as each day passes. He got to Mexico before she did and in the process improved his standing with hispanics. If I were a Hillary supporter I might be starting to sweat a little bit right now. After she loses, the Clintons can go quietly into retirement and their hangers-on will have to get real jobs. Maybe she can sell her designer haz-mat suits on E-Bay to make up for the loss of influence peddling money.
No way in hell. America has not deteriorated to the point where bigots are the majority.
If you voted for the current occupant of the White House, then it is YOU who are the bigot.
Why?
Because the ONLY reason anyone voted for said occupant was the color of his skin.
Doubt that?
OK, imagine that someone as bereft of qualification and experience had showed up at the 2008 Iowa Caucus with a non-existent resume ~~ yet had written two ‘memoirs’ ~~ seeking the Presidency, who was WHITE.
How fast would such a pretentious twerp be driven from the stage amid derisive hoots of laughter and Hillary cackles?
It is every bit as racist to vote FOR someone because of skin color as it is to vote AGAINST someone for such a shallow reason.
You are a racist and bigot because your thoughtless reasonings truly indicate it. You must be a very lonely, bitter and desperate individual to think the way you do.
Liar, liar , Donald’s orange skin is on fire….
MEXICO CITY – Donald Trump told Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Wednesday he would build a border wall to keep illegal migrants out if he wins the U.S. presidency, but Pena Nieto held fast to his position that Mexico would not pay for it.
Contradicting Trump’s assertion that the pair did not discuss who would pay for his proposed wall, Pena Nieto said after the departure of the Republican presidential candidate that he told him during their private meeting in Mexico City that his government would not pick up the bill.
“At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall,” Pena Nieto said in a tweet after not mentioning the issue during their joint news conference.
But, you know a lot about lying right, with your fake degree and PhD, again what was the name of your thesis–that’s right, the paradox and dichotomy of mother goose and its tension with made up degrees.
That trump is a liar. A con man and a crooked man. LOCK HIM UP. Where’s the tax returns? Come on now, show us your taxes so we can reveal your illegal ties with organized crime and russia.
Persons so far out on the end of the plank as yourself would do well to back up slowly cautiously into the truth so it will not take them totally by surprise come November.
So here is a way you can start: slowly practice saying “President-Elect Trump” for 3 or 4 minutes each day, gradually increasing the number of iterations. That way on November 9, it will be a piece of cake for you to acknowledge reality while at the same time making it easier for you to swallow your present over the top rhetoric.
hiLIARy is a liar. A con woman and a crooked woman. LOCK HER UP. Where’s the Health records? Come on now, show us your EMAILS so we can reveal your illegal ties with organized crime and russia.
President Nieto has a law degree and worked in a law firm. As any good lawyer, he’ll deny everything until cornered by the truth. Examples: Hillary and Bill.
The consensus—and the fact—is that Donald’s speech served as a pep rally for current supporters. No new votes were gained.
Non-supporters clearly see that his immigration policies are a mixture of ignorance, random ideas, and flip-flopping. And his speech did not clarify the important points.
What kind of wall will he build? How will he fund it? When Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto said “NO,” did he sock Trump in the mouth?
Today, does he intend to deport all 11 million illegals? Or just the 700k criminals? What sort of deportation team will he assemble? Or will he do it all himself, his own macho self?
Will he get a clue?
Hey, m e g a – m o n k e y – b o y, how about citing the factual source for your assertion that No new votes were gained.
Consensus – “a general agreement about something : an idea or opinion that is shared by all the people in a group.” I guess you could call it a “consensus”, if the group you are talking about is people already supporting trump. Doubling down on a failing strategy is a great way to lose the election, so keep doing what you are doing, trump! And CEI, don’t stop believin’! The confirmation bias is real!
Sad..hiLIARy is the worst female to ever run for the OFFICE…that is her legacy. Today there are POLLS with The Donald pulling ahead of hiLIARy!
Problem with 11 Million Illegals is when you have too many lawbreakers it becomes impossible to enforce the law because of too many bleeding hearts. The lack of hate of crime allowed this many invaders to accumulate.
Donald Trump is the internet troll of presidential politics. When he’s securely removed from the objects of his scorn, he’s tough as nails; when he’s in their presence, he quivers like a bowl of Jell-O.
Such is the way of a bully.
Furthermore, when he is surrounded by supporters who cheer his base nature, he amplifies the enmity. When the applause of hostility is out of earshot, he tones down his vitriol to a whimper.
He is not only a bully, it seems to me, but also something of a coward, who lacks the force of his convictions — or who lacks basic convictions at all. He seems to be simply playing to the audience, whatever that audience may be. He’s amenable to the mood of any particular room.
This is the most frightening type of man, whose basic character is vile but not inviolable, who springs from darkness and bends toward anything that casts light, even if that light is, as the internet loves to say, a dumpster fire.
Case in point: Trump has spent the whole of his campaign maligning Mexican immigrants, people of “Mexican heritage” and the country of Mexico itself.
The Hillary Clinton campaign was quick to remind voters of the horrid things Trump has tweeted about Mexico and Mexicans, and the list was a doozy.
They included calling the Mexican government “totally corrupt” and the Mexican court system “dishonest” and saying that “Mexico is not our friend” and ”I want nothing to do with Mexico other than to build an impenetrable WALL and stop them from ripping off U.S.”
Indeed, one of Trump’s main focuses has been the wall — which he has insisted from the beginning that he would make Mexico pay for — and a “deportation force” to round up and deport all of the approximately 11 million immigrants who are in this country illegally.
These are the Mexican immigrants who Trump initially described this way: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
And yet, when he made the quick decision to visit Mexico Wednesday and meet with that country’s president, Enrique Peña Nieto, Trump was much more contrite in his comments. Indeed, for most of the subsequent news conference, Trump looked lost and confused.
As Trump put it:
“I happen to have a tremendous feeling for Mexican-Americans not only in terms of friendships, but in terms of the tremendous numbers that I employ in the United States and they are amazing people, amazing people. I have many friends, so many friends and so many friends coming to Mexico and in Mexico. I am proud to say how many people I employ. And the United States first, second and third generation Mexicans are just beyond reproach. Spectacular, spectacular hard-working people. I have such great respect for them and their strong values of family, faith and community.”
Huh? Who is this guy? Of course, this time he was reading a speech. This is no doubt some soft-pedal written by his aides to make him sound more human and less monstrous.
Kellyanne Conway, you are one of the best ventriloquists in politics, the way you put words in this man’s mouth. But I’m not buying it. You can repackage your bigot if you choose, but the basic contours of the man betray your efforts to remake him. And, your support and promotion of him makes you one of the most dangerous, though soft-spoken, people in America at this moment.
According to Trump, he didn’t even discuss with Peña Nieto that he would demand that Mexico pay for the Southern border wall. But Peña Nieto disputed that account, tweeting in Spanish: “At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump, I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.” If you believe Peña Nieto, Trump, the self-proclaimed tough negotiator, not only choked but openly lied about choking.
And this is the supposedly brassy billionaire people support because he’s tough and tells it like it is? Trump is a paper tiger if ever there was one.
And then, a few hours later in Arizona, at what was billed as a major policy speech on his now muddled stance on immigration, and before his jeering acolytes, he gave a speech full of fear, about murderous immigrants, and reiterated that he would build a southern border wall and, you guessed it, Mexico would pay for it.
Trump was back to his hate. He was back to his hyperbolic histrionics.
This is what every voter must remember: Trump has two faces and two sets of facts and too much latitude to spread his animus, anti-intellectualism and lies, and he must never see the inside of the Oval Office.NYT
I also listened to the speech tonight, as I was very curious to hear it translated from its original German text, as It was spoke, about 75 years ago in the Das Mutterland.
It shows you have lost the debate when you drop the Adolph card. Back to the drawing board skippy.
Aren’t you at least a bit bothered by the fact that Trump has flip-flopped on how many Mexicans he’ll actually deport? Aren’t you worried that he obviously has not thought out how he’s going to build his Great Wall?
It’s ok to be disappointed that he didn’t make the Mex Prez agree to pay for the wall? Voice your displeasure. He will disappoint his well-meaning supporters again. And he won’t care.
How’s the fake degree mill coming–good? The great thing about a a fake degree is that it is so portable–whatever the desire, whatever the whim, whoever you want to attempt to impress–you just make up,a fake PhD. Tell us again the title of the degree….gosh, I laughed so hard the first time, as I’m sure dozens of others who saw you enter the depths of tomfoolery.
Mr Trump looking very presidential in giving a very informative speech. A nice trip to Mexico to meet with our neighbors to start the day. Meanwhile the self centered over educated continue to nit pick Mr Trump and expound on their personal accomplishments that mean absolutely nothing to the rest of us folks. Can you top this? Trump 2016
How can one be over-educated? It is this type of meandering and the complacency of the mediocre that prevents greats swaths of the trump crowd from participating meaningfully in the global community.–“hey Sheila, pop me another PBR and pass me my Camels”–this is the real unofficial battle cry of Trump nation.
The Peter Principle is an observation that the tendency in most organizational hierarchies, such as that of a corporation, is for every employee to rise in the hierarchy through promotion until they reach the levels of their respective incompetence. It’s Rolling Rock now or Apple Crown and Ginger Ale. No smoking but pipes for the elites with a beards and locks.
The pretentious, posturing Yalie know it all Ikefromeli incautiously asks: How can one be over-educated? while at the same time demonstrating EXACTLY how.
Ike you are way more fun than you can possibly imagine.
By all means DOOOOOO carry on.
I can smell the fear from those of you who support the queen of mean. Have any of you chosen a country to run and hide in when the Trumpster is inaugurated? Maybe Venezuela or Cuba?
The stench is getting stenchy.
SA missed this one >>> Hillary Clinton’s popularity has hit a new low with registered voters, according to the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll.
The poll, released Wednesday, shows just 41 percent of Americans have a positive view of Clinton while 56 percent have a negative view. Her unfavorable rating is up 6 percentage points in three weeks.
The numbers still show her doing better than Republican rival Donald Trump, whom just 35 percent view favorably. But Trump has long been the less popular candidate in such polls. Wednesday’s survey reflects the worst rating Clinton has had in her entire career, and a slide in her numbers since the Democratic National Convention in July.
The shift seems to correspond to renewed focus on her use of a private email server and alleged conflicts of interest during her tenure as secretary of state involving the Clinton Foundation.
Her popularity among women flipped from 54-43 percent last month to 45-52 percent this month. It’s the first time in more than a year that women have viewed Clinton so unfavorably.
Common corporal22 you can do better than that. Why bring up the subject of Hillary’s unpopularity when the Chump still trails her in that category among many others.
Every time you turn around there is another million, now probably already 12 Million . Hundreds of millions irresponsibly produced “surplus” around the world are ready to invade the civilized world and tear it down with them.
The problem with Hispanics isn;t that they are “illegals”. The problem with them is that they are taught from birth to hate the USA and anything else to do with England, especially the English language. That’s who they see as their hated, bitter rivals. It humiliates the Hispanic people to hsave been outdone by their hated rivals, they feel humiliated and hate and vow to destory the USA from within. You will never get production from a humiliated people. What you see from them is what you would expect from a humiliated people: trying to build their own independent society within the USA to challenge and defeat mainstream USA.
A vote for Hillary is a vote to keep the same old tired, useless political structure in tact. To heck with that. I am not and never would vote for continuation of what we have now. Hillary would be more secrecy, more lies, more wasteful spending. ABC 2016