IMMIGRATION
PATHWAY TO CITIZENSHIP CLINTON: She promises to propose immigration legislation in her first 100 days that would include a route to citizenship. Her approach is largely in line with that approved by Democrats and Republicans in the Senate in 2013 but turned aside by the House.
TRUMP: He has clarified that he opposes any pathway to legal status for immigrants in the U.S. illegally. They would have to return to their home countries and apply for legal entry should they wish to come back. He has not said what would happen to those who choose to stay, but said they are subject to deportation. Trump also has called for an end to “birthright citizenship,” currently granted to anyone born in the United States. A BORDER WALL TRUMP: A centerpiece of Trump’s immigration plan is a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico. There are already some 650 miles of fencing along the border, including roughly 15-foot-tall steel fencing in many urban areas. Trump says he’ll extend a huge wall across the vast majority of the 2,100mile border, which would be a major construction feat costing billions of dollars. He promises to make Mexico pay for it. He would also add 5,000 border patrol agents and expand the number of border patrol stations.
CLINTON: She says there are places where a physical barrier is appropriate but opposes large-scale expansion of a border wall. She prefers relying on technology and more border patrol agents to ensure
the border is secure. OBAMA’S EXECUTIVE ORDERS
CLINTON: She supports President Barack Obama’s executive actions that deferred immigration enforcement against millions of children and parents in the country illegally. A deadlocked Supreme Court decision in June blocked his order, but Clinton insists that such actions are within the president’s authority.
TRUMP: He has said he would “immediately terminate” the executive orders, which he said gave amnesty to 5 million immigrants. One part of the president’s executive action that remains in place has shielded about 740,000 immigrations from deportation, all of them people who came to the United States as children. The president’s plan to expand the program would have protected as many as 4 million immigrant parents of U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents.