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After A Rough Week, Trump Course Corrects On Immigration

Posted at 8:25 AM, Aug 28, 2016
and last updated 2016-08-28 09:25:34-04

After a turbulent week, Donald Trump is trying to refocus his position on one of his campaign's tentpole issues: immigration.

"We are going to get rid of the criminals, and it's going to happen within one hour after I take office," Trump told supporters. 

SEE MORE: A Change In Trump's Immigration Policy Probably Won't Sway Voters

Speaking at a fundraiser for Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, Trump outlined more details of his immigration policy, telling the audience he wants to crack down on expired visas, make it easier for employers to check work eligibility and repeal President Barack Obama's executive orders on immigration.

Those are all pretty standard conservative policy points on immigration, which might reassure mainstream Republicans somewhat. Trump also threw his base some red meat by promising to make deporting criminal undocumented immigrants his first priority as president.

But Trump was less eager to talk about what he would do with the rest of the roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the U.S.

"All the media wants to talk about is the 11 million people — or more, or less, they have no idea what the number is because we have no control over our country," Trump said.

The question of how to handle those immigrants has dogged Trump this week after he suggested he might let some of them stay in the country — and was swiftly criticized by hardcore conservatives who accused him of abandoning his pledge to deport all undocumented immigrants.

SEE MORE: Ann Coulter's Book Says Trump Can't Change On Immigration, Then He Did

Trump also reiterated Saturday the one part of his immigration plan that's remained untouched in all the confusion: his great big border wall with Mexico.


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