Donald Trump on Immigration Reform: Deportation of All Immigrants Criticized by Political Latinos

By Michael Oleaga Aug 17 2015, 11:35 AM EDT

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's latest immigration comments were met with furor from Latinos and Latino-based organization.

During an appearance on NBC News' "Meet the Press," Trump said he would reverse President Barack Obama's deferred action executive actions, which introduced the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs. The programs may provide nearly 4.9 million undocumented immigrants, who currently live in the U.S. and arrived prior to January 2010, three-year deferment from deportation based on guidelines by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

"We're going to keep the families together, but they have to go," said Trump from his private plane in Des Moines, Iowa.

"We will work with them," continued Trump, when asked where the deported immigrants will go. "They have to go ... we either have a country or we don't have a country."

The businessman's comments come as his immigration reform plan was published on his campaign website, which called for a wall across the southern U.S. border, reinforcement of existing immigration laws, more Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, penalties for those who overstay their visas, and swift and mandatory deportation, which Trump stated can be aided by canceling visas to foreign countries that do not accept their own criminals.

"Trump has reignited the GOP's longstanding obsession with mass deportation," said Democratic National Committee (DNC) Hispanic media Director Pablo Manriquez. He noted Trump dismissed a "full and equal pathway to citizenship for hardworking immigrants," a stance shared by fellow Republican presidential candidates former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and others.

Manriquez continued, "The GOP should quit treating these families as second class citizens and join democrats who support immigrant families and want to keep them together."

Roger Rocha Jr., president of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) issued a similar response as the DNC, saying that Trump's policy is "nothing more than a restatement of old proposals from the far right." According Rocha, Trump's proposal is not based on facts and goes against the U.S. Constitution. The LULAC president said the Republican front-runner is simply spewing more hateful rhetoric than "true" policy solutions.

"We need real leadership in developing productive immigration reform," Rocha said in his statement. "Such leadership requires politicians to put aside the politics of division and instead focuses on solutions to our country's broken immigration system, which for too long, has punished the people who pick our crops, build our homes, and care for our children."

Rocha said comprehensive immigration reform, which includes "realistic opportunity to excel" for the immigrant workforce, should be worked on again.

New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito also condemned Trump. His plan also called for the defunding of "sanctuary cities," jurisdictions that do not collaborate with federal immigration law enforcement, which includes New York City.

"Donald Trump's race to the bottom has once again hit a new low," Mark-Vivierto said. "As the Republican front-runners for president, Donald Trump continues to demonstrate that the GOP is the party pushing a pro deportation, anti family agenda. When Donald Trump speaks about immigration, he is speaking for the whole Republican Party. Come 2016, Latinos across the country are going to reject this hateful and inhumane agenda."

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