Trump: I WILL deport 3 million migrant criminals
... but border wall may just be a fence
DONALD Trump last night vowed to deport up to three million illegal immigrants with criminal records – but described the law-abiding ones as ‘terrific’. Mr Trump, who promised to rid the US of an estimated 11million undocumented immigrants on ‘Day one’ of his presidency, also admitted his controversial Mexican border wall will be partly a fence as key election pledges began to evaporate.
In his first on-air interview since winning the election, the president-elect said mass deportation of undocumented immigrants without criminal records is not high on his agenda.
‘After the border is secure and after everything gets normalised, we’re going to make a determination on the people that you’re talking about who are terrific people, they’re terrific people,’ Mr Trump told the CBS TV show 60 Minutes.
However, he also backtracked on how he will secure the border, admitting that for parts of its 1,900-mile length, he would accept a new barrier just being a fence rather than a wall.
Mr Trump’s pledge to tackle undocumented immigration with drastic mass deportations was the most contentious commitment of his campaign.
Mr Trump’s TV comments were echoed by the most senior Republican in Congress, House Speaker Paul Ryan, who said yesterday that Mr Trump was ‘not planning on erecting a deportation force’.
Up until the closing months of the elections, Mr Trump was insisting that he wouldn’t soften his stance if elected. But with critics calling many of his promises unfeasible or prohibitively expensive and Mr Trump now pledging to serve all Americans,
‘He’s embracing Establishment’
he has angered hardcore supporters by back-tracking in key areas. After meeting Barack obama at the White House last week, Mr Trump softened his opposition to his controversial ‘obamacare’ health reforms. Having earlier called it a ‘disaster’ he would immediately repeal, Mr Trump said there were parts of obamacare he liked – so he may now amend, not scrap it.
on terrorism, Mr Trump has already watered down his call for a ‘total and complete’ temporary ban on foreign Muslims entering the US in a bid to counter terrorism.
Earlier this year, Mr Trump changed his stance on Muslims, saying the ban would only apply to people originating from countries with a ‘proven history of terrorism’ or states ‘compromised’ by terrorism.
His running mate, Mike Pence, has said Mr Trump no longer wants to implement a Muslim ban although it remains on the official Trump website as a policy goal.
Meanwhile the presidentelect has also indicated he is re-thinking his vow to pursue Mrs Clinton with possible charges over email use.
Members of his inner circle say it hasn’t been discussed while Mr Trump has ignored questions about the subject.
Right-wing commentary websites are frustrated at Mr Trump’s backtracking. ‘Drain the swamp? Not so fast. Trump begins to embrace the Establishment,’ said the conservative Anti Media blog. And in a seemingly pro-Establishment move, Mr Trump said last night that he had picked Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus as chief of staff.
on 60 Minutes, Mr Trump called himself ‘pro-life’ and said he would be fine if Roe v Wade, the case which guaranteed a woman the right to an abortion, was overturned.