Donald Trump May Drop Deportation Plan
Donald Trump may drop his proposal to deport 11 million people who are living illegally in the United States.
Campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said the mass deportation plan, which was a central plank of Donald Trump’s campaign, was yet “to be determined”.
Kellyanne Conway’s comments at the weekend came after the Republican presidential nominee met with a new panel of Hispanic advisers.
Donald Trump told Fox News on August 22 he was not “flip-flopping” but wanted a fair plan.
He is scheduled to deliver a speech on immigration in Colorado on August 25.
Photo AP
Donald Trump has taken a hard-line stance on immigration since the beginning of his campaign, vowing to create a “deportation force” as well as make Mexico pay for the construction of a wall along the US-Mexico border.
While struggling to keep up with Hillary Clinton in the polls, Donald Trump has addressed black and Hispanic voters in recent days with the aim of broadening his support beyond white working-class voters.
“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 who live among us,” Kellyanne Conway told CNN on August 21.
When asked to clarify if Donald Trump would maintain his position on creating a deportation force, Kellyanne Conway responded: “To be determined.”
Donald Trump’s running mate, Mike Pence, insisted that the plan remains unchanged.
“I don’t think the message is changing at all. I think people are just getting to know Donald Trump better,” he said.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign later released a statement saying there would be little revision to his immigration plan despite Kellyanne Conway’s suggestions.
“Donald Trump’s immigration plan remains the same as it’s always been – tear apart families and deport 16 million people from the United States,” said Hillary Clinton’s campaign chair John Podesta.
If the deportation plan is dropped or refashioned, it would not be the first shift in Donald Trump’s immigration policy.
Donald Trump’s controversial plan to issue a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the country changed to a ban on countries with a history of terrorism against the US. That switch followed questions raised by constitutional experts.
Last week, the Trump campaign faced a dramatic overhaul with the exit of campaign chairman Paul Manafort as well as the hiring of Breitbart News boss Stephen Bannon as CEO and Kellyanne Conway as campaign manager.