|
| Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump greats the crowd at the Iowa State Fair Saturday, Aug. 15, 2015, in Des Moines. |
WASHINGTON
(AP) -- Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wants more than a
wall to keep out immigrants living in the country illegally. He also
wants to end "birthright citizenship" for their children, he said
Sunday. And he would rescind Obama administration executive orders on
immigration and toughen deportation, allowing in only "the good ones."
Trump
described his expanded vision of how to secure American borders during a
wide-ranging interview Sunday on NBC's "Meet The Press," saying that he
would push to end the constitutionally protected citizenship rights of
children of any family living illegally inside the U.S.
"They
have to go," Trump said, adding: "What they're doing, they're having a
baby. And then all of a sudden, nobody knows...the baby's here."
Native-born
children of immigrants - even those living illegally in the U.S. - have
been automatically considered American citizens since the adoption of
the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution in 1868.
The
odds of repealing the amendment's citizenship clause would be steep,
requiring the votes of two-thirds of both houses of Congress and support
from three-fourths of the nation's state legislatures. Republicans in
Congress have pushed without success to repeal that provision since
2011.
"They're illegal," Trump said,
describing native-born children of people living illegally in the US.
"You either have a country or not."
Trump's
remarks came as his campaign website posted his program for "immigration
reform." Among its details: Making Mexico pay for a permanent border
wall. Mandatory deportation of all "criminal aliens."
Tripling the force
of immigration officers by eliminating tax credit payments to immigrant
families residing illegally in the U.S.
He
said that families with U.S.-born children could return quickly if
deemed worthy by the government.
"We're going to try and bring them back
rapidly, the good ones," he said, adding: "We will expedite it so
people can come back in. The good people can come back."
Trump
did not elaborate on how he would define "good people." But echoing
earlier controversial remarks that Mexico was sending criminals across
the border, Trump said a tough deportation policy was needed because
"there's definitely evidence" of crimes linked to immigrants living in
the country illegally.
The New York
businessman also said he would waste little time rescinding President
Barack Obama's executive actions aimed at allowing as many as 3.7
million immigrants living illegally in the U.S. to remain in the country
because of their U.S.-born relatives. Obama's November 2014 actions
were halted by temporary injunctions ordered by several federal courts
in rulings challenging his executive powers to alter immigration
policies without Congressional approval. The cases could lead to the
U.S. Supreme Court.
"We have to make a whole new set of standards," Trump said. "And when people come in, they have to come in legally."
On
Sunday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich echoed Trump's call to finish
construction of an incomplete system of barriers on the nation's
southern border with Mexico. There are still gaps in the barriers, which
have been under construction since 2005.
Speaking
on CBS' "Face the Nation," Kasich said he would "finish the wall" but
would then work to legalize 12 million immigrants now estimated to live
in the U.S. illegally. Kasich said he would "make sure we don't have
anybody - any of the criminal element here." He would also revive the
guest-worker programs that previously brought in temporary workers to
aid in farming and other industries hobbled by labor shortages.
Most
other GOP candidates also back completing the border wall but differ
over how to treat immigrant families already living in the U.S. Former
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush recently released his own immigration plan calling
for the use of forward bases and drones to guard the border, but also
backing an eventual plan to legalize the status of immigrant families.
Bush disagrees with Obama's use of executive actions to unilaterally
enforce the policy.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio
worked with senators from both parties to develop a comprehensive plan
in 2013 that would have legalized the status of many immigrant families.
But Congress balked at the idea as tea party Republicans opposed the
deal and Rubio has since backed away from his support.
