Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is clarifying that under his plan, there’s no path to legalization for illegal immigrants already in the United States if they don’t leave and come back.

“There is no path to legalization, unless they leave the country and come back,” Mr. Trump told CNN’s Anderson Cooper Thursday. “When they come back in, if they come back in, then they can start paying taxes.”

“It’s a process,” he said. “You can’t take 11 [million] at one time and just say boom, you’re gone.”

Asked if otherwise law-abiding illegal immigrants with longstanding ties to the U.S. will be deported, Mr. Trump said he’d see what happens once the border is strengthened.

“We’re going to have tremendous protection, both technological protection and everything else. And then we’re going to see what happens,” he said.

“But there is a very good chance the answer could be yes. We’re going to see what happens,” he said.

“Before I do anything, I want to get rid of the bad ones, and there are a lot of [them],” he said. “I want to get rid of all of the bad ones, and we’re going to do that. That’ll be the single first order I sign.”

He also said he doesn’t think there’s a “softening” of his position.

“I don’t think it’s a softening,” he said. “I’ve had people say it’s a hardening, actually.”

At a Fox News town hall this week, Mr. Trump also suggested cases involving illegal immigrants with longstanding ties to the U.S. who otherwise haven’t committed crimes could be handled differently than those involving more hardened criminals.

“There certainly can be a softening, because we’re not looking to hurt people … but we’re going to follow the laws of this country,” Mr. Trump said at the town hall.

“No citizenship,” Mr. Trump also said. “Let me go a step further: They’ll pay back taxes.”

“There’s no amnesty, but we work with them,” Mr. Trump said.

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