Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump started his campaign by making several very controversial remarks about Mexico and the immigration issue. And to show voters that he takes the issue very seriously, the real estate mogul recently unveiled his plan for immigration reform.
The six-page position paper was published on Trump’s website immediately after the presidential hopeful appeared on NBC’s Meet the Press .
The report, which was titled “Immigration Reform That Will Make America Great Again,” focused on three principles – building a wall at the Mexican and American border that Mexico will pay for, ending birthright citizenship and enforcing mandatory deportation of “all criminal aliens,” and giving priority to American workers.
Donald Trump had previously stated that the US government should build a wall on the southern border to keep illegal immigrants out and that “a nation without borders is not a nation.” The 69-year-old is also adamant that Mexico pay for the wall because the US “will not be taken advantage of anymore.”
According to Trump’s policy, in the event that Mexico’s government refuses to foot the bill for the wall, the government would “impound all remittance payments derived from illegal wages; increase fees on all temporary visas issued to Mexican CEOs and diplomats, NAFTA worker visas and on all border crossing cards; and increase fees at ports of entry to the United States from Mexico [Tariffs and foreign aid cuts are also options].”
To ensure that policy will be placed in effect, the reality star says he will triple the number of ICE officers securing the border.
Trump would deport parents of U.S. citizens but somehow keep families together http://t.co/IXvH3hLHDO pic.twitter.com/Xnk9rTNTe3
— Huffington Post (@HuffingtonPost) August 16, 2015
Trump also plans to end “birthright citizenship” of children born to illegal immigrants, a right that has been in effect since the 14 th amendment of the US Constitution was adopted in 1868. Despite being pressed on how he plans to accomplish this and concerns on where those families would go, all the presidential wannabe could say was that “they have to go.” But he did throw those US-born children a bone and said they and their families could come back if they are “the good ones.” Unfortunately, the outspoken Republican hasn’t come up with the criteria of what would define the “good people” that would be allowed back.
As expected, Trump’s policy was met with strong reactions from his party and Latino advocacy groups, with some describing it as based on scare tactics and nativist thinking while others pointed out the Republicans’ “obsession with mass deportation.”
But the policy was endorsed by Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., who said it was “exactly the plan America needs.”
Ohio Gov. John Kasich also showed his support and reiterated Donald Trump’s plan to build and finish the construction of a system of barriers on the border with Mexico.
[Image by Andrew Burton, Getty Images]
