Trump pledges 'firm' immigration plan with 'a lot of heart'

President-elect Donald Trump this week promised a revamped immigration plan that is both “very firm” but also will “have a lot of heart” for undocumented immigrants in difficult situations.

During his Tuesday interview with Fox News’ Ainsley Earhardt, which was broadcast Wednesday morning on “Fox & Friends,” Trump was asked what he plans to do with the so-called “dreamers,” undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children. Asked about their predicament, Trump said “I understand that,” and said an immigration plan is in the works, set to be delivered “over the next two to three months.”


“It's a plan that's going to be very firm, but it's going to be a lot of heart. And we're going to be looking into that situation,” Trump said. “That's a very tough situation, but I think they're going to end up being very happy. We're going to have great people coming into our country, people that love our country.”

A more compassionate approach differs greatly from the one Trump proposed during the Republican primary, when he advocated for the deportation of every single undocumented immigrant currently in the U.S. He backed away from that proposal as president-elect, instead generally favoring one that would first prioritize the deportation of undocumented immigrants with criminal records before formulating a plan for what to do with those who remained.

Trump also promised a “merit-based” immigration system that prioritizes allowing skilled individuals from other countries into the U.S. Such a plan, Trump said, would benefit technology companies like the ones in Silicon Valley, where immigration has become a pet issue for some executives interested in bringing more skilled labor into the U.S.

“We're going to have great people and people of great talent coming into our country,” Trump said. “And if you can think of this, some of the Silicon Valley companies want to build up in Canada, because in Canada, they're able to get the people that they need and they can't get them in this country because we don't allow them in this country.”

“So we're going to take care of a lot of situations,” he told Earhardt. “And we're going to have a lot of heart, believe me. It's going to be a heart almost as big as yours.”

This article tagged under: Policy

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