Donald Trump Considers Immigration Reform Shift, Says He Isn’t Flip-Flopping on Deportation Policy
Donald Trump met with his new National Hispanic Advisory Council in New York on Saturday as a first step in reaching out to Latino voters.
Based on who was asked, Trump either did or did not insinuate changes to his strict anti-immigration policy proposals.
BuzzFeed reported that the Republican presidential candidate was considering a "humane and efficient" way of dealing with some 11 million individuals living in the U.S. illegally. Attendees who spoke with Univision said Trump's upcoming immigration policy speech in Colorado will "include finding a way to legalize millions of undocumented immigrants."
On Sunday, nascent campaign manager Kellyanne Conaway disputed the reports by saying Trump's position has not changed.
"What he supports is to make sure we enforce the law, that we are respectful of those Americans who are looking for jobs, and that we are fair and humane to those living among us," Conway said on CNN's State of the Union.
Asked if Trump still supports a deportation task force, which the presidential candidate previously said would be done "humanely," Conway responded: "to be determined."
"I'm Not Flip-Flopping"
Trump appeared on Fox News Monday morning to set the record straight.
"We have to be very, very strong when people come here illegally," Trump said. "We have a lot of people that want to come in through the legal process, and it's not fair to them. We're working with a lot of people in the Hispanic community to try and come up with an answer."
Trump added, "I'm not flip-flopping. We want to come up with a really fair but firm answer."
Trump's anti-immigration proposals are the cornerstone of his candidacy. Whereas ousted GOP contenders like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio walked a tepid line, Trump launched his campaign by taking a hardline stance against Mexicans he deemed "criminals" and "rapists."
A record 13.3 million GOP primary voters sided with Trump because of his vow to fortify the U.S.-Mexico border wall at the Mexican government's expense. Rally speeches often include victims of undocumented immigrants, like Northern California resident Kathryn Steinle and former sheriff's dispatcher Dominic Durden.
In an August 2015 interview on NBC's "Meet the Press," Trump repeatedly responded "They have to go" in defending his deportation stance. A successful example he has used is "Operation Wetback," a controversial 1950s mass deportation program administered to round up immigrants and drop them off in remote areas.
Trump's Hispanic Advisory Council
Nationwide polls show Trump trails Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by a wide margin among minorities. Some polls have Clinton courting as much as 76 percent of the Latino vote.
Members of Trump's Hispanic advisory council and Latino voters may have similar concerns, as Dallas pastor Mark Gonzales told TIME over the weekend.
"I wasn't aware that I was on any list in the capacity, official," Gonzales said, initially unaware that he was included in Trump's council. "We are waiting for more details, we want to see what he will do on immigration...Our stance remains the same, we are willing to serve in that capacity if that takes place."
The Republican National Committee initially released a statement that named Gonzales as a member, along with about two-dozen other Hispanic leaders. An updated press released backtracked from announcing Gonzales' participation.
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