Eliza Collins

USA TODAY

Did Donald Trump really change his plan on immigration? At this point, that’s not exactly clear because he's offered few specifics. What we do know is that he’s tweaked the language he uses to address the subject and is sounding a bit more like some of his primary challengers.

Trump appeared on a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity this week focused on the topic. In a portion airing Tuesday, Trump said he would be open to a “softening” on his immigration proposal. In a segment Wednesday, he said he’d work with tax-paying undocumented immigrants, signaling he may be open to modifying his previous deportation plan.

These statements seem like news because a central part of Trump’s campaign has been his proposal to crack down on illegal immigration, including the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

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However, his campaign surrogates have said his plan hasn't changed, even if his tone and rhetoric have. As spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said Thursday: "There's not a different message. He's using different words to give that message."

Let’s go through his recent comments and compare them to what he’s said before:

Open to ‘softening’

Tuesday segment: Hannity asked Trump whether there was any part of his immigration proposal that he’d be willing to change to accommodate law-abiding undocumented immigrants with children living in the United States.

“There certainly can be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people, we want people — we have some great people in this country,” Trump said. “So but we're going to follow the laws of this country. And, you know, what people don't realize, we have very, very strong laws,” he added.

What he’s said before: Trump sparked controversy from the outset of his campaign when he said in his announcement speech in June 2015 that Mexico was sending immigrants who "have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us." He added: "They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."

He's also repeatedly used the slur “anchor baby" to describe children born in the United States to undocumented parents and said they were not U.S. citizens (legally if you’re born on U.S. soil, you are a citizen).

Of undocumented immigrants in the United States, Trump told NBC News' Meet the Press a year ago: "We're going to keep the families together, but they have to go."

Will ‘work with them’

Wednesday segment: Trump seemed this week to suggest that not all 11 million undocumented immigrants would be deported. He said that a Trump administration would be willing to work with undocumented immigrants who paid taxes.

"No citizenship. Let me go a step further — they'll pay back-taxes, they have to pay taxes, there's no amnesty, as such, there's no amnesty, but we work with them," Trump said.

What he’s said before: In November, Trump called for a deportation force to remove the estimated 11 million to 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. “You’re going to have a deportation force, and you’re going to do it humanely,” Trump told MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

“People will leave, people will leave, they’re going to go back where they came from. That’s the way it’s supposed to be,” Trump added. “They can come back, but they have to come back legally.”

His campaign did not immediately respond to a request for clarification on whether any of Trump’s comments mean that there would be changes to his plan. However, his campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, on CNN Thursday said, “It is this week what it’s always been.” Conway over the weekend, when asked about whether a deportation force would be a part of Trump's plans said, "To be determined."

In a pre-released clip from an interview with CNN set to air Thursday night, Trump echoed past calls for people to leave the country and then come back, further adding confusion to whether he is actually pivoting.

"No, there’s not a path to legalization unless people leave the country, if they come back in and then they have to start paying taxes, but there is no path to legalization unless they leave the country and come back," Trump said.

Trump's comments on immigration came as he's ramped up outreach efforts to Hispanics and African Americans. Over the weekend, he met with a Hispanic advisory council and he is expected to give a detailed speech on immigration soon.

Hillary Clinton is currently far-ahead of Trump with Hispanics. A Fox News Latino poll released earlier this month had Clinton with a 46-point lead over Trump among Hispanics, 66% to 20%.

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