Republican vice-presidential nominee Mike Pence said Sunday that nothing has changed about Donald Trump’s position on illegal immigration, as the campaign moved to tamp down criticism that the presidential nominee is flip-flopping on the signature issue of his run.
“Let’s be very clear: Nothing has changed about Donald Trump’s position on dealing with illegal immigration,” the Indiana governor said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Mr. Trump has encountered criticism form his conservative base after saying he is “softening” his position on illegal immigration, a move that coincided with increased efforts to woo Hispanic voters.
Mr. Pence said that Mr. Trump had remained consistent on his pledge to build a wall on the United State’s southern border, crack down on illegal immigrants finding work in the U.S. and create a “mechanism” for dealing with the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the country.
He stressed that the mechanism would be “humane,” a word Mr. Trump repeatedly has used.
“You heard the word humanely again,” said Mr. Pence. “It’s going to be fair. It’s going to be tough. There will be no path to legalization, no path to citizenship unless people leave the country.”
Earlier in the campaign, Mr. Trump pledged to deport all illegal immigrants and establish a deportation force to do the job. But he had dropped that rhetoric from his stump speech months ago.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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