Donald Trump said Thursday that he was not softening his stance on illegal immigration and that "there's no path to legalization unless people leave the country."

"There's no path to legalization unless people leave the country," the Republican nominee told Anderson Cooper on CNN after speaking to supporters in Manchester, N.H. "When they come back in, they can start paying taxes."

"They still have to leave?" Cooper asked.

"There's no path to legalization unless they leave the country and come back," Trump said.

He told Cooper that he would give law enforcement the authority to deport "bad dudes" — meaning those who have committed crimes — from the United States.

However, Trump would not say whether he would round up other illegals — telling Cooper that once the initial deportations occurred, "then we can talk."