Political Catch Up: Donald Trump Declares, “This Is It” For The End Of Illegal Immigration And Ensures “Physical” Wall Will Be Built
Trump’s speech on Wednesday following Mexican meeting confirms the Republican nominee’s stance on controversial immigration proposals.
Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump refused to soften his stance on immigration policies late Wednesday in Phoenix during a much-anticipated speech regarding issues of illegal immigration and securing Mexico’s border, despite a week of back and forth from the Trump campaign on core policy issues.
“This won’t be a rally speech, per se,” the Republican presumptive nominee announced to a cheering crowd of Phoenix supporters, moments after walking on stage. “Instead, I’m going to deliver a detailed policy address on one of the greatest challenges facing our country today, illegal immigration.”
Trump went onto describe his “important and special” meeting with Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto just hours before, alluding to Nieto as a man to whom he “respects very much.”
“We agree on the importance of ending the illegal flow of drugs, cash, guns, and people across our border, and to put the cartels out of business,” Trump went onto say, welcoming another roar of applause from audience members. “We’re going to go about creating a new relationship between our two countries, but it’s going to be a fair relationship. We want fairness.”
Despite encouraging words of better relations among the two countries, Trump assured his supporters that there would be “no amnesty” when it came to illegal immigration from Mexico, and remained adamant in his early intent to build a “powerful” and “impenetrable” physical wall paid for by Mexico – a motion rejected by the Mexican president that same day during their meeting.
“This is it,” said Trump, emphasizing rhetoric that illegal immigration is “one of the greatest challenges today,” serving only the wealthy and encouraging crime in the United States. “The fundamental problem with the immigration system in our country is that it serves the needs of wealthy donors, political activists and powerful, powerful politicians,” he said.
The booming crowd then grew louder as Trump pointed to members of the audience as he declared, “Let me tell you who it does not serve. It does not serve you the American people. Doesn’t serve you.”
“This election is our last chance to secure the border, stop illegal immigration and reform our laws,” he continued.
The speech comes after months of controversial policy proposals regarding the barring of immigrants from coming into the country, and a week after his campaign struggled to settle with what to do about the more than 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S.
Trump first declared his intentions of building a physical wall along the Southern border between the U.S and Mexico last June, accusing many of the Mexican immigrants of bringing drugs, crimes and rapists. The comments and plan of action incited controversy and outcry from the public and fellow presidential front-runners of the time.
But earlier in the week, Trump declared he would “work with” undocumented immigrants living in the U.S rather than deport them. He then adhered to a “no path to legalization” stance just a few days later, in an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, causing many to question his actual position.
Wednesday’s speech has now secured his primary notion and disclosed Trump’s rasping attempts to end illegal immigration from the Central American country.
“For those here illegally today seeking legal status, they will have one route and one route only,” Trump declared in response to “build a wall” chants coming from the crowd. “To return home and apply for reentry like everybody else,” he said.
The Republican nominee addressed issues of security to help support his stance, describing the murders of American citizens Sarah Root and Grant Ronnebeck at the hands of illegal immigrants, among others, as prime examples of “weak and foolish” open-door-policies that stand today.
“Since 2013 alone, the Obama administration has allowed 300,000 criminal aliens to return back into United States communities. These are individuals encountered or identified by ICE, but who were not detained or processed for deportation because it wouldn’t have been politically correct,” he said.
“Countless Americans who have died in recent years would be alive today if not for the open border policies of this administration and the administration that causes this horrible, horrible thought process, called Hillary Clinton,” he said.
Trump also made remarks about canceling President Obama’s executive actions, to which the Republican nominee stated were “illegal” in themselves, and accused Clinton of failing to comprise immigration laws all together, stating that she would “evade justice” by promising national incentives like ObamaCare and Social Security to illegal aliens.
“Maybe they’ll be able to deport her,” he said, in reference to Clinton.
As the night progressed, Trump continued to derail his running mate’s policies while welcoming family members of citizens killed in altercations with illegal immigrants, onto the stage.
“Now is the time for these voices to be heard. Now is the time for the media to begin asking questions on their behalf,” he said of the families.
Trump finalized his speech to supporters chanting “USA!” and “Trump!” with stern words of reassurance: “Let’s stop the drugs and the crime from pouring into our country. Let’s protect our social security and Medicare. Let’s get unemployed Americans off the welfare and back to work in their own country.”
“Together we can save American lives, American jobs, and American futures,” he continued. “Together we can save America itself. Join me in this mission, we’re going to make America great again.”