Jeff Sessions said he is uncertain about whether Donald Trump would actually follow through on his deportation vow. | AP Photo Trump camp leaves wiggle room on deportation of illegal immigrants

Donald Trump’s new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, is leaving some wiggle room on the Republican presidential nominee’s past vow to deport 11 million illegal immigrants from the country, saying Trump’s immigration plans are “to be determined.”

Appearing Sunday on CNN’s "State of the Union," Conway was pressed on whether Trump still supports the plan he put forward during the GOP primaries to have a “deportation force” carry out mass removals of people living in the United States illegally — a plan that was criticized for being expensive, inhumane and a major expansion of federal power.


“What [Trump] supports is to make sure that we enforce the law, that we are respectful of those Americans who are looking for well-paying jobs, and that we are fair and humane for those who live among us in this country,” Conway said. “As the weeks unfold, he will lay out the specifics of that plan that he would implement as president of the United States.”

Sen. Jeff Sessions, a longtime immigration hard-liner who has been advising Trump, also appeared uncertain on Sunday about whether the candidate would actually follow through on his deportation vow.

Appearing on CBS News’ "Face the Nation," the Alabama Republican said Trump “did not make a firm commitment yesterday [during a meeting with Hispanic leaders], or the meeting the other day, about what he will do with that. But he did listen, and he's talking about it.”

“But,” Sessions added, “he is absolutely committed to the first thing that has to be done, and that's end the lawlessness, to protect Americans from danger and to protect American jobs from excessive flows of labor that pull down wages and job opportunities for Americans.”

Trump's hardline stance on illegal immigration, which also involves the building of a wall on the border with Mexico, has been a cornerstone of his campaign since it began in the summer of 2015. His campaign's position on the issue was blurred a bit this weekend when BuzzFeed reported that Trump told a group of Hispanic advocates that he was inclined to deal with the issue in "a humane and efficient manner,” suggesting that he was not definitely committed to the concept of mass deportation.

Hillary for American chairman John Podesta issued a statement Sunday evening on Trump's immigration position.

"We believe the RNC official in the room, the campaign's statement after the meeting and the candidate himself that Donald Trump's immigration plan remains the same as it's always been: tear apart families and deport 16 million people from the United States. One need look no further for confirmation than Donald Trump's own words and the TV ad released on Friday that's being lauded by white supremacists."

Rebecca Morin contributed to this article.