PrintTrump vows to deport criminal illegals 'the first hour' he's in office
There has been a lot of discussion about Donald Trump's evolving policy on illegal immigrants, but two aspects of that policy has not changed; building a wall and deporting illegal aliens convicted of serious crimes.
Donald Trump toughened up his rhetoric on illegal immigration, saying he would start deporting illegal immigrants right away, but he maintained his new focus on going after criminals.
"These international gangs of thugs and drug cartels will be, I promise you — from the first day in office the first thing that I'm going to do, the first piece of paper that I'm going to sign — is we're going to get rid of these people day one," Trump said at Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst's second annual Roast and Ride in Des Moines, Iowa. "Before the wall. Before anything."
He continued, "We are going to get rid of the criminals and it's going to happen within one hour after I take office, we start. OK. Going to bring them back where they came from."
Trump has incurred criticism from conservatives due to a "softening" of his previous position, which was to deport all illegal immigrants.
Trump said the "reign of terror" from illegal immigrant criminals would soon end, and invited onstage the family of a victim of a crime committed by an illegal immigrant.
Trump was also joined onstage by Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, Gov. Terry Branstad, and Rep. Steve King during the middle of his speech. But Iowa senator Chuck Grassley, who is running for re-election this year, did not appear with Trump.
The GOP nominee urged Republican voters of all stripes in the Hawkeye State to act now on a limited-time offer for change — by voting for him — or risk losing the Supreme Court.
The deportation of criminal illegals is a winning issue and helps contrast Trump's "get tough" approach against illegals with Clinton's open borders advocacy.
But compared to the economy, terrorism, and foreign policy, immigration is not seen as an important issue. Trump's campaign sees immigration as a wedge issue that could get a lot of white Democrats to vote for him in November. That remains to be seen. But his stance on criminal illegals will help shore up his base who are now doubting just how committed he is to deporting all illegal aliens.
