End the visa lottery, and move
Source: 2018 State of the Union address
, Jan 30, 2018
Protect America by banning refugees from terrorist countries
The Trump administration today announced a new Muslim ban executive order entitled "Protecting the Nation from Foreign Terrorist Entry". [The original Jan. 2017 order reduces to 50,000 the annual number of refugees allowed from 7 Muslim countries, and
sets the number allowed from Syria to zero. After a court found that unconstitutional, the March 2017 order replaced the list of 7 countries with Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen, for 90 days]. The director of the ACLU's Immigrants' Rights
Project had this reaction:"The Trump administration has conceded that its original Muslim ban was indefensible. Unfortunately, it has replaced it with a scaled-back version that shares the same fatal flaws. The only way to actually fix the Muslim ban
is not to have a Muslim ban. Instead, Pres. Trump has recommitted himself to religious discrimination. The changes the Trump administration has made completely undermine the bogus national security justifications the president has tried to hide behind.
Source: ACLU Fact-Check of Trump Administration promises & actions
, Mar 6, 2017
Amnesty is unfair to people waiting on line for years
Clinton wants to give amnesty, which is a disaster and very unfair to all of the people that are waiting on line for many, many years. We need strong borders. In the audience tonight, we have four mothers whose children have been killed,
brutally killed by people that came into the country illegally. You have thousands of mothers and fathers and relatives all over the country. They're coming in illegally. Drugs are pouring in through the border. We have no country if we have no border.
Source: Third 2016 Presidential Debate in Las Vegas
, Oct 19, 2016
We have some bad hombres here; I'll get them out
I was up in New Hampshire the other day. The single biggest problem is heroin that pours across our southern border. It's just pouring and destroying their youth. It's poisoning the blood of their youth and plenty of other people. We have to have strong
borders. We have to keep the drugs out of our country. We are getting the drugs, they're getting the cash. We need strong borders. We cannot give amnesty. I want to build the wall. We have some bad hombres here, and we're going to get them out.
Source: Third 2016 Presidential Debate in Las Vegas
, Oct 19, 2016
Border agents endorsed me because I understand the border
We have many criminal illegal aliens. When we want to send them back to their country, their country says we don't want them. In some cases, they're murderers and drug lords. And they don't want them. Clinton as secretary of state said "That's OK,
we can't force it into their country." I'm going to force them right back into their country. They're murderers and some very bad people. The Border Patrol agents, 16,500, just recently endorsed me, and they endorsed me because I understand the border.
Source: Second 2016 Presidential Debate at WUSTL in St. Louis MO
, Oct 9, 2016
People pour into US and citizens lose jobs
We're losing our jobs. People are pouring into our country. The other day, we were deporting 800 people.
And perhaps they passed the wrong button, or perhaps worse than that, it was corruption, but these people that we were going to deport for good reason ended up becoming citizens. Now it turns out it might be 1,800, and they don't even know.
Source: First 2016 Presidential Debate at Hofstra University
, Sep 26, 2016
10-point plan: wall; zero tolerance; biometrics; E-Verify
- We will build a great wall along the southern border. And Mexico will pay for it.
- We are going to end catch and release.
- Zero tolerance for criminal aliens. Zero. They don't come in here. We're going to triple the number of ICE
deportation officers. We're also going to hire 5,000 more Border Patrol agents.
- Block funding for sanctuary cities. No more funds.
- Cancel unconstitutional executive orders and enforce all immigration laws.
- Suspend issuance of visas to any
place where adequate screening cannot occur.
- Ensure that other countries take their people back when they are deported.
- We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system which we need desperately. The politicians are all talk,
no action, never happens.
- Turn off the jobs and benefits magnet. We will ensure that E-Verify is used to the fullest extent possible under existing law.
- Reform legal immigration to serve the best interests of America and its workers.
Source: Ballotpedia.org on Campaign speech in Phoenix Arizona
, Aug 31, 2016
1885: grandfather Friedrich was illegal German emigrant
Friedrich, Donald Trump's grandfather-to-be, was born on March 14, 1869. Friedrich saw no future in Germany & joined the stream of Germans looking for a better life in the US. Friedrich arrived in New York on Oct. 19, 1885. Immigration records list his
occupation as "farmer" and his name as "Friedrich Trump," [Americanizing it from "Drumpf"]. He was sixteen years old.But Friedrich's departure ran afoul of German law. A three-year stint of military service was mandatory, and to emigrate, boys of
conscription age had to get permission. The young barber didn't do so, resulting in a questionable status that would undermine any future prospect of return: Friedrich Trump was an illegal emigrant. Luckily, US officials didn't care about the
circumstances under which he left Germany. US Immigration law at the time granted Germans preferred status. Friedrich was one of about a million Germans who immigrated to the United States in 1885, more than had ever before come in one year.
Source: Trump Revealed, by Michael Kranish & Mark Fisher, p. 23
, Aug 23, 2016
Vatican has massive walls; Pope is wrong about open borders
Trump got into a scuffle with Pope Francis. Aboard his plane after a trip to Mexico, the pontiff had told reporters, "A person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian."
Trump heard the comment and "I immediately thought of the Vatican, with the massive walls, and I said, 'Well, wait a minute, he's got the bigger walls, he's got walls like you couldn't even dream of'."
Trump issued a written response calling the pope's words "disgraceful," adding, "If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS's ultimate trophy,
I can promise you that the pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been president."
Source: Trump Revealed, by Michael Kranish & Mark Fisher, p.323
, Aug 23, 2016
We must stop illegal immigration; it hurts us economically
He of the executive order, because nobody wants to listen to him, including the Democrats, so he just goes around signing executive orders. We have to stop illegal immigration.
It's hurting us economically. It's hurting us from every standpoint. It's causing tremendous difficulty with respect to drugs and what that does to our inner cities.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier debate
, Nov 10, 2015
Cut off federal funds to sanctuary cities
We have to cut off federal grants to sanctuary cities--those places that refuse to cooperate with federal law enforcement and actually abet criminal behavior--we have to end them. I repeat, we either are a nation of laws or we're not.
We also need to do what is necessary to enforce our visa regulations. People get a visa and come here legally, and when that visa expires, many stay here illegally. If they get caught, nothing happens to them. That's got to change.
Source: Crippled America, by Donald Trump, p. 27
, Nov 3, 2015
I don't care how they come in, if they come in legally
Q: You said about Marco Rubio that he was [Facebook founder] Mark Zuckerberg's personal senator because he was in favor of the H1B visa.TRUMP: I never said that.
Q: So this was an erroneous article the whole way around? My apologies.
Q [after commercial break]: I found where I read that before. It was from the donaldjtrump.com website and it says, "Mark Zuckerburg's personal senator, Marco Rubio has a bill to triple H-1Bs that would decimate women and minorities."
Are you in favor of H-1Bs or are you opposed to them?
TRUMP: I'm in favor of people coming into this country legally. As far as the visas are concerned, if we need people they have--it's fine.
They have to come into this country legally. We have a country of laws. It's fine if they come in, but they have to come in legally.
Source: GOP `Your Money/Your Vote` 2015 CNBC 1st-tier debate
, Oct 28, 2015
We're only country dumb enough for birthright citizenship
Q: You say that babies born in the United States to undocumented immigrants should not any longer get automatic American citizenship; isn't that in the 14th Amendment? TRUMP: The 14th Amendment says very, very clearly to a lot of great legal scholars
that it is wrong. It can be corrected with an act of Congress, but probably doesn't even need that. A woman gets pregnant. She's nine months, she walks across the border, she has the baby in the United States, and we take care of the baby for 85 years?
I don't think so. Mexico--and almost every other country anywhere in the world--doesn't have that. We're the only ones dumb enough, stupid enough to have it. And this is not just with respect to Mexico--people are coming from Asia to have babies here,
and all of a sudden, we have to take care of the babies for the life of the baby. The 14th Amendment [should] go through the Supreme Court, but there are a lot of great legal scholars that say that is not correct.
Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN
, Sep 16, 2015
This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish
We have a country, where, to assimilate, you have to speak English. And I think that where he was, and the way it came out didn't sound right to me. We have to have assimilation--to have a country, we have to have assimilation.
I'm not the first one to say this. We've had many people over the years, for many, many years, saying the same thing. This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish.
Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN
, Sep 16, 2015
We need strong borders; we need a wall
Trump knocked former Florida governor Jeb Bush, calling him "weak on immigration." Trump specifically mentioned a view Bush espoused in a 2014 Fox News interview that immigrants cross the U.S.-Mexico border as an "act of love.""We need
strong borders. We need a wall," Trump said, addressing his solutions to the immigration issue. "The king of building buildings, the king of building walls--none of them can build them like Donald Trump."
Source: CBS News on 2015 Conservative Political Action Conf.
, Feb 27, 2015
Anchor babies were NEVER the intent of the 14th Amendment
The root cause of all the welfare payments to illegal aliens is the so-called "anchor baby" phenomenon, which is when illegal immigrant mothers have a baby on American soil. The child automatically becomes an American citizen,
Though this was NEVER the intention of the Fourteenth Amendment, which states, "All citizens born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and the state wherein they reside."
The clear purpose of the Fourteenth Amendment, ratified in 1868, three years after the end of the
Civil War, was to guarantee full citizenship rights to now emancipated former slaves. It was not intended to guarantee untrammeled immigration to the United States.
Source: Time to Get Tough, by Donald Trump, p.140-141
, Dec 5, 2011
Control borders; even legal immigration should be difficult
America is experiencing serious social and economic difficulty with illegal immigrants who are flooding across our borders. We simply can’t absorb them. It is a scandal when America cannot control its own borders. A liberal policy of immigration may seem
to reflect confidence and generosity. But our current laxness toward illegal immigration shows a recklessness and disregard for those who live here legally. The majority of legal immigrants can often make significant contributions to our society
because they have special skills and because they add to our nation’s cultural diversity. They come with the best of intentions. But legal immigrants do not and should not enter easily. It’s a long, costly, draining, and often frustrating
experience-by design. I say to legal immigrants: Welcome and good luck.
It comes down to this: we must take care of our own people first. Our policy to people born elsewhere should be clear: Enter by the law, or leave.
Source: The America We Deserve, by Donald Trump, p.143-45
, Jul 2, 2000
Donald Trump on Criminal Aliens
FactCheck: immigrants eating pets is slur from 19th century
Less than half an hour into Tuesday's presidential debate, former president Donald Trump deployed an updated version of a century-old slur against immigrant communities: that newcomers are eating other people's pets. Though city officials confirmed
that they have received no such reports, and the baseless claim quickly drew condemnation, false claims about Haitians eating pets went viral on rightwing social media, and were quickly amplified by conservative lawmakers.People of Haitian descent
say these xenophobic attacks are nothing new for their community, and experts say the "dog eater" trope is a fearmongering tactic white politicians have long deployed against immigrants of color, particularly those of Asian descent.
Demonizing immigrants through falsehoods about their diet is a political tactic that originated in the late 19th century. More recently, in 2016, US Senate hopeful Faye Stewart accused Vietnamese refugees of "harvesting" dogs and cats for food.
Source: The Guardian FactCheck: 2024 Presidential debate in Phila.
, Sep 14, 2024
FactCheck: No, immigrants in Ohio aren't eating pet dogs
Q: We're going to turn now to immigration.TRUMP: By allowing these millions of people to come into our country, look at what's happening to the towns all over the United States. In Springfield, they're eating the dogs. The people that came in.
They're eating the cats. They're eating the pets of the people that live there. And this is what's happening in our country. And it's a shame.
Q: I just want to clarify here, you bring up Springfield, Ohio. And ABC News did reach out to the city
manager there. He told us there have been no credible reports of specific claims of pets being harmed, injured or abused by individuals within the immigrant community.
TRUMP: Well, I've seen people on television say my dog was taken and used for food.
So maybe he said that and maybe that's a good thing to say for a city manager.
Q: I'm not taking this from television. I'm taking it from the city manager.
TRUMP: But the people on television say their dog was eaten by the people that went there.
Source: ABC News FactCheck: 2024 Presidential debate in Philadelphia
, Sep 10, 2024
Countless Americans are killed every year by criminal aliens
Illegal immigration costs American taxpayers hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars a year, funds that could be used to improve our schools, roads, hospitals, and other vital services. Instead, Democrats want to take even more of your
money to give illegal aliens free healthcare, free federal welfare, free education. They get treated better than they want to treat our military and our vets. And I stopped it. But it's crazy.
The Democrat Party's immigration policies empower bloodthirsty cartels that maim, murder, and torture; that smuggle and traffic innocent human beings; that flood our communities with poisonous drugs. The Left's immigration policies are not
compassionate; they are heartless, merciless, and cruel. Countless Americans are killed every year by criminal aliens. These are illegal aliens that come in, and they are, in many cases, very bad people.
Source: Remarks by President Trump at the 2020 CPAC Conference
, Feb 29, 2020
ICE guards dangerous southern border against criminal aliens
Not one more American life should be lost because our Nation failed to control its very dangerous border. In the last 2 years,
our brave ICE officers made 266,000 arrests of criminal aliens, including those charged or convicted of nearly 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 killings.
Source: 2019 State of the Union address to United States Congress
, Feb 5, 2019
Opposes Catch-&-Release laws; throw criminal aliens in jail
With our foreign partners we have helped charge or arrest more than 4,000 members of the savage gang, MS-13. They don't like guns. You know why? They're not painful enough. These are animals. They cut people. They cut them. They cut them up in little
pieces, and they want them to suffer. And we take them into our country. Because our immigration laws are so bad, and when we catch them, it is called "catch and release." We have to, by law, catch them and then release them. Catch and release.
And I can't get the Democrats and nobody has been able to for years to approve common-sense measures that when we catch these animal killers, we can lock them up, and throw away the keys. In 2017, our brave ICE officers arrested more than
100,000 criminal aliens who have committed tens of thousands of crimes. And, believe me, these are great people. They cannot--the laws are just against us. They're against safety. They don't make sense.
Source: Speech at the 2018 CPAC Convention
, Feb 23, 2018
New agency VOICE: Victims of Immigrant Crime Engagement
I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American Victims. The office is called VOICE--Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement. We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced
by special interests.Joining us in the audience tonight are very brave Americans whose government failed them. Jamiel Shaw's 17-year-old son was viciously murdered by an illegal immigrant gang member, who had just been released from prison.
The husbands of Susan Oliver and Jessica Davis--Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver and Detective Michael Davis--were slain in the line of duty in California, viciously gunned down by an illegal immigrant with a criminal record and two prior deportations.
To Jamiel, Susan and Jessica: I want you to know--we will never stop fighting for justice. Your loved ones will never be forgotten, we will always honor their memory.
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
, Feb 28, 2017
Deporting drug dealers, murderers, and "bad dudes"
And remember, we are getting the bad ones out. These are bad dudes. We're getting the bad ones out, OK? If you watch these people, it's like "gee, that's so sad."
We're getting bad people out of this country, people that shouldn't be whether it's drugs or murder or other things. We're getting bad ones out, those are the ones that go first and I said it from day one. Basically all I've done is keep my promise.
Source: Time magazine, "Trump speech at CPAC 2017"
, Feb 24, 2017
Throw immigrant criminals out of U.S. and keep them out
We are also going to save countless American lives. As we speak today, immigration offers are finding the gang members, the drug dealers and the criminal aliens and throwing them the hell out of our country. And we will not let them back in. They're
not coming back in, folks. They do, they're going to have bigger problems than they ever dreamt of.I'm also working with the Department of Justice to being reducing violent crime. I mean, can you believe what's happening in Chicago as an example?
Two days ago, seven people were shot and I believe killed. Seven people, seven people, Chicago, a great American city,
seven people shot and killed. We will support the incredible men and women of law enforcement.
Source: Speech at the 2017 CPAC Convention
, Feb 24, 2017
351,000 criminal illegal aliens in our prisons
In 2011, the Government Accountability Office reported that there were three million arrests that could be attributed to the incarcerated alien population, including tens of thousands of violent criminals.
There were 351,000 criminal illegal aliens in our prisons--that number does not include the crime of crossing our borders. It costs us more than a billion dollars a year just to keep these people in prison.
I understand that the vast majority of these people are honest, decent, hardworking people who came here to improve their own lives and their children's lives. Nonetheless, illegal immigration has to stop.
A country that can't protect its borders isn't a country. We are the only country in the world whose immigration system places the needs of other nations ahead of our own. There is a word to describe people who do that: fools.
Source: Crippled America, by Donald Trump, p. 21-2
, Nov 3, 2015
Illegal immigrants populate many criminal gangs
[First], I want to build a wall. Second of all, we have a lot of really bad dudes in this country from outside. They go, if I get elected. Gangs all over the place. We have a country of laws, they're going to go out, and they'll come back if they deserve
to come back. If they've had a bad record, if they've been arrested, if they've been in jail, they're never coming back. Right now, we don't have a country, we don't have a border, and we're going to do something about it.
Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN
, Sep 16, 2015
Half of the undocumented residents in America are criminals
What does Donald Trump believe? Immigration: No path to citizenship for undocumented workers. Allow more European immigration and a legal status to those graduating from U.S. colleges.
In his January speech to the Iowa Freedom Summit, Trump called for securing the southern border and indicated that he believes half of the undocumented residents in America are criminals.
In 2013 at CPAC, the businessman said Republicans should block any path to citizenship or voting status for undocumented immigrants but should expand legal immigration from Europe.
In addition, Trump would give a legal status to foreign students who complete a degree at an American university.
Source: PBS News Hour "2016 Candidate Stands" series
, Jun 16, 2015
Citizenship for illegal immigrants is a GOP suicide mission
Donald Trump said the Republican party will lose elections if it reforms the nation's entitlement programs and will hand
Democrats 11 million votes if Congress grants citizenship to illegal immigrants, likening the reform efforts to a "suicide mission."
"The fact is 11 million people will be voting Democratic. You can be out front. You can be the spearhead. You can do whatever you want to do, but every one of those 11 million people will be voting Democratic," he said. "It is just the way it
works.""You have to be very, very careful, because you could say that to a certain extent the odds aren't looking so great for Republicans, that you are on a suicide mission," he said. "You are just not going to get those votes."
Source: 2013 Conservative Political Action Conf. in Washington Times
, Mar 15, 2013
351,000 illegal aliens are in our prisons; costing $1.1B
America's prisons house 351,000 criminal aliens who committed a crime after having already broken the law by entering American illegally.
Making taxpayers pay for 351,000 criminals who should never have been here in the first place is ridiculous. The annual price tag to incarcerate these thugs is $1.1 billion. And get this: criminal aliens have an average of seven arrests.
That's at least seven crimes committed against American citizens by each of these criminals who should never have been allowed to cross our borders.
One out of every three federal prison inmates is a Latino, and three quarters of these are here illegally.
Source: Time to Get Tough, by Donald Trump, p.136
, Dec 5, 2011
Donald Trump on Mexico
Transnational gangs cross the Mexican border at will
The facts: Vicious transnational gangs and cartels are crossing the border essentially at will. More than 40 percent of catch and release migrants have totally disappeared, and the Harris-Biden administration has failed to remove 99.7% of
the illegal immigrants released into the interior of the U.S. Those escaping deportation include members of Tren de Aragua, including gang members committing crimes in the U.S. while under deportation order.The consequences:
Mexican cartels are now making $13 billion a year smuggling illegal immigrants into the U.S., 26 times what they made in 2018. The bloodthirsty transnational gang, Tren de Aragua, is building a "criminal empire" in the U.S. because of Kamala's border
bloodbath. Among the communities under siege by Tren de Aragua is Aurora, Colorado. President Trump will be visiting today to draw attention to the crisis that Kamala Harris and her allies in the fake news media want to insist does not exist.
Source: Trump Presidential Campaign 2024 press release:"Open Border"
, Oct 11, 2024
Egregious failures of Kamala as border czar
Kamala Harris was the copilot on some of Biden's most egregious failures. Case in point: As Biden's "border czar," Harris helped fuel the invasion at our southern border. She has only visited the border once as vice president, and far from actually
securing the border, she supports the most radical elements of the Democrats' open-borders agenda. She supports abolishing ICE, wants to decriminalize illegal border crossings, and smears Border Patrol agents, namely by being one of main promoters
of the "whipping" hoax.True to form, Harris put America last. She must answer questions on what she knew when, and why she defrauded the American people. Biden and Harris abetted an invasion at our border, fueled inflation, lowered
real wages, raised the tax burden on the middle class, weakened America's standing in the world, emboldened our enemies, allowed criminals to control our streets, and prioritized special interest groups over families.
Source: Trump Presidential Campaign 2024 press release: "Biden 2.0"
, Jul 12, 2024
I built 571 miles of wall & made safest border in US history
Joe Biden is on the run from his record and lying like crazy to try to escape accountability for the horrific devastation he and his party have created--all the while they continue the very policies that are causing this horror show to go.
When I left office, we gave Joe Biden the most secure border in U.S. history--we gave him Remain in Mexico--very tough to get, but I got it, Safe Third Agreements, the Asylum ban, Title 42, 571 miles of border wall, Rapid Deportations, and much more.
We had the safest border in the history of our country.
As soon as he got in, Crooked Joe and his Radical Left lunatics deliberately dismantled each and every one of those policies that were so good that gave us this best border, according to
Tom Holman, according to Brandon Judd, the top people. They said it was the single best border we've ever had in recorded history. What's happened now is a horror show. The country--our country--is being laughed at all over the world.
Source: Trump Prebuttal to 2024 State of the Union address
, Mar 7, 2024
The first thing I would do is seal the border good and tight
I had the strongest border in the history of our country, and I built almost 500 miles of wall. I had another 200 that I was going to build. It's like water, it seeks. We're going to build another 200. We built it, it was all set to go, all they
had to do is install it. That's when I found out, I said, "I think these people actually want open borders." The first thing I would do would be, I would seal up the border good and tight, except for people that want to come in legally.
Source: Tucker on X interview opposite 2023 GOP debate in Milwaukee
, Aug 23, 2023
We will build the wall; and complete it in three weeks
The wall will be quickly completed. We will build the wall, complete the wall in three weeks. It took two and a half years on the wall, two and a half years to win all of the litigation, over 11 lawsuits they threw at us, and we have just about
finished, and I said, they can't be serious. They don't want to close up the little loops, but nobody ever had a border so secure as the border that we have. We will be sealed good and tight, except for people coming into our country legally.
Source: Speech at the 2022 CPAC Conference in Orlando FL
, Feb 26, 2022
FactCheck: border wall 52 new miles, plus rebuilt 406 miles
[CNN Town Hall transcript]: Q: COLLINS: Some of your Republican rivals have criticized your for not finishing the border wall.TRUMP: I did finish the wall. I built the wall.
Q: You didn't finish the wall. It was only about 52 miles of new wall.
TRUMP: I built hundreds of miles of wall and I finished it, and then I said, "we have to build some more because there are areas like water going through a dam." You close up one and they come in through another. And we started another 100 miles of wall.
USNWR Fact Check: Before Biden stopped new construction on the wall, the Trump administration had built 458 miles of what it dubbed "border wall system" [out of 1,954 miles of the US-Mexico border]. The vast majority of the 458 miles
were constructed in places where some kind of barrier already existed, but most of the preexisting structures were far less imposing than the new wall and included fencing and rudimentary technical barriers.
Source: US News & World Report on CNN Town Hall (2024 candidates)
, Feb 7, 2022
Border is the single greatest disaster in American history
Now the Biden administration has turned the border into the single greatest disaster in American history, and perhaps in world history. Nobody's ever seen a border like this. Other countries don't have a border like this.
Illegal border crossings are up over 1,000% from last year. For the last three months in a row, more illegal alien minors have arrived than any other month in United States states history.
Source: Speech transcript from 2021 CPAC Conference
, Jul 11, 2021
Working very hard to reunite 500+ kids with their parents
Q: Your administration separated children from their parents at the border, at least 4,000 kids. You've reversed your policy, but the US can't locate the parents of more than 500 children. So how will these families ever be reunited?TRUMP: Children
are brought here by coyotes and lots of bad people, cartels. We now have as strong a border as we've ever had. And we let people in, but they have to come in legally.
Q: But how will you reunite these kids with their families, Mr. President?
TRUMP:
They used to say I built the cages, and then it was determined they were built in 2014. That was [Biden]. They built cages.
Q: Do you have a plan to reunite the kids with their families?
TRUMP: Yes. We're working on it. We're trying very hard.
But a lot of these kids come out without the parents. They are so well taken care of. They're in facilities that were so clean.
Q: But some of them haven't been reunited with their families.
TRUMP: But just ask one question. Who built the cages?
Source: Third 2020 Presidential Debate, moderated by Kristen Welker
, Oct 22, 2020
Catch-&-release was a disaster; only low-IQ people came back
Catch and release is a disaster. A murderer would come in. A rapist would come in. We would take their name. We have to release them into our country. And then you say they come back. Less than 1% of the people come back. We have to send
ICE out and Border Patrol out to find them. We would say, "Come back in two years, three years. We're going to give you a court case. They never come back. Those with the lowest IQ, they might come back, but there are very, very few.
Source: Third 2020 Presidential Debate, moderated by Kristen Welker
, Oct 22, 2020
Cut immigration to protect Americans from infected Mexicans
Because of the pandemic, much changed on the immigration front. Mexico is heavily infected, as you know. And we've made it very, very difficult to come in because of the pandemic, and other reasons, and crime. But we have a very strong border right now,
and we have to keep it that way. But we want people to come into our country, but they have to come in through a merit system, and they have to come in legally. What happened is because of the pandemic, we have to be extra cautious.
Source: Second 2020 Presidential Debate/NBC Town Hall Miami
, Oct 15, 2020
Wall is working beyond our wildest expectations
In perhaps no area did the Washington special interests try harder to stop us than on my policy of pro-American immigration. But I refused to back down -- and today America's borders are more secure than EVER before. We ENDED catch-and-release, stopped
asylum fraud, took down human traffickers who prey on women and children, and we have deported 20,000 Gang Members and 500,000 Criminal Aliens. The Wall will soon be complete, and it is working beyond our wildest expectations.
We will BAN deadly Sanctuary Cities, and ensure that federal healthcare is protected for American Citizens -- not illegal aliens.
We will have strong borders, strike down terrorists who threaten our people, and keep America OUT of endless and costly foreign wars.
Source: Speech at 2020 Republican National Convention
, Aug 28, 2020
Coronavirus: Border security is also health security
Border security is also health security. In our efforts to keep America safe, my administration has taken the most aggressive action in modern history to control our borders and protect Americans from the coronavirus. Came from China. In the early
stages of the foreign outbreak, I ordered sweeping travel restrictions to prevent uncontrolled spread of this disease. Not only did we do it, but I did it very early. And that decision has been now given very good grades, like an A-plus- plus-plus.
Source: Remarks by President Trump at the 2020 CPAC Conference
, Feb 29, 2020
Use threat of tariffs to get Mexico's cooperation
Mexico has been absolutely terrific for the last four days. They're apprehending everybody. Yesterday, they apprehended 1,400 people. The day before, it was 1,000. If they continue that, everything will be fine.
If they don't, we're going to tariff their cars at 25 percent.The system is full. We can't take you anymore. Whether it's asylum, whether it's anything you want, it's illegal immigration, can't take you anymore.
Source: PBS Newshour "System is full," on 2020 presidential hopefuls
, Apr 5, 2019
Restore integrity at borders instead of lawless chaos
My Administration has answered the pleas of the American people for immigration enforcement & border security. By finally enforcing our immigration laws, we will raise wages, help the unemployed, save billions of dollars, and make our communities safer
for everyone. We want all Americans to succeed--but that can't happen in an environment of lawless chaos. We must restore integrity and the rule of law to our borders.For that reason, we will soon begin the construction of a great, great wall along
citizens.
To any in Congress who do not believe we should enforce our laws, I would ask you this question: what would you say to the American family that loses their job or a loved one, because America refused to uphold its laws & defend its borders?
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
, Feb 28, 2017
Hire 5,000 more Border Patrol agents on Mexican border
Trump signed a burst of executive orders within just his first three weeks to undo many of President Barack Obama's regulatory policies. Here's an overview:Border Security and Immigration Enforcement Improvements: Signed: Jan. 25, 2017
The order is aimed at fulfilling one of Trump's key campaign promises--enhancing border security--by directing federal funding to construction of a wall along the Mexico-U.S. border. It instructs the secretary of homeland security to prepare
congressional budget requests for the wall and to "end the abuse of parole and asylum provisions" that complicate the removal of undocumented immigrants.Other parts of the order call for hiring 5,000 more
Border Patrol agents, building facilities to hold undocumented immigrants near the Mexican border and ending "catch-and-release" protocols, in which immigrants in the United States without documentation are not detained while they await court hearings.
Source: NBC News on 2017 Trump Administration promises & actions
, Feb 14, 2017
We've been badly hurt by Mexico both at the border & on jobs
I think if you saw what happened in Mexico the other day, where I went there, I had great relationships. I let them know where the United States stands. We've been badly hurt by Mexico, both on the border and with taking all of our jobs or a
big percentage of our jobs. Look at the aftermath today where the people that arranged the trip in Mexico have been forced out of government. That's how well we did.
Source: 2016 NBC Commander-in-Chief forum with Matt Lauer
, Sep 7, 2016
We have no borders; and yes, I am angry
I'm very angry because our country is being run horribly and I will gladly accept the mantle of anger. Our military is a disaster. Our healthcare is a horror show. Obamacare, we're going to repeal it and replace it. We have no borders.
Our vets are being treated horribly. Illegal immigration is beyond belief. Our country is being run by incompetent people. And yes, I am angry. And I won't be angry when we fix it, but until we fix it, I'm very angry.
Source: Fox Business Republican 2-tier debate
, Jan 14, 2016
Ship millions back to Mexico, like Eisenhower did
Q: Can we just send 5 million people back with no effect on economy?TRUMP: You are going to have to send people out. Look, we either have a country or we don't have a country. We are a country of laws. [Those who entered illegally are] going to have
to go out and hopefully they get back. But we have no choice if we're going to run our country properly & if we're going to be a country.
KASICH: If people think that we are going to ship 11 million people who are law-abiding, who are in this country,
& somehow pick them up at their house & ship them out to Mexico, think about the families. Think about the children. It's a silly argument. It is not an adult argument. It makes no sense.
TRUMP: Dwight Eisenhower, a great president, moved 1.5 million
illegal immigrants out of this country, moved them just beyond the border. They came back. Moved them again beyond the border, they came back. Didn't like it. Moved them way south. They never came back. They moved 1.5 million out. We have no choice.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ First Tier debate
, Nov 10, 2015
Walls on borders work; just ask Israel
We are a country of laws. We need borders. We will have a wall [on the Mexican border]. The wall will be built. The wall will be successful. And if you think walls don't work, all you have to do is ask Israel. The wall works, believe me. Properly done.
Believe me. [OnTheIssues note: Trump refers to the "separation barrier" that Israel built surrounding the Palestinian areas of the West Bank. It has reduced terrorist attacks, but is controversial in the peace process].
Source: Fox Business/WSJ First Tier debate
, Nov 10, 2015
Mexico will pay for wall, but not through tariffs
Q: You haven't told us how you're going to get Mexico to pay for the wall (on US-Mexico border).TRUMP: I'll tell you right now. We have a trade imbalance of $40 billion, $45 billion with Mexico a year.
We give Mexico billions of dollars a year. The wall is going to cost $6 billion or $7 billion.
Q: So tariffs?
TRUMP: No, I'm not saying that. I'll get Mexico to pay for it one way or the other. I guarantee you that.
Source: Meet the Press 2015 interview moderated by Chuck Todd
, Nov 8, 2015
Building 1,000-mile wall is possible, if we make commitment
Nobody can build a wall like me. I will build a great wall on our southern border. It's probably about 1,000 miles we will need to secure with the new wall. There are people who say it can't be done, that it's not possible to build a wall 1,000
miles long. Except beginning more than 2,000 years ago the Chinese built a wall that eventually stretched almost 13,000 miles that could never be breached.
It was a combination of massive walls, impassible trenches and ditches, and rugged natural terrain, as well as an estimated 25,000 watchtowers. Believe me, our wall- building technology has improved a lot in 2,000 years.
What we don't have that the Chinese had is the commitment to do it. They understood the danger of leaving their border unprotected and they did something about it. We talk about it and do nothing.
Source: Crippled America, by Donald Trump, p. 23-4
, Nov 3, 2015
I can get Mexico to pay for border wall; politicians can't
Q: You're promising to build a wall and make another country pay for it?TRUMP: Right. We're going to build the wall; we're going to create a border. We're going to let people in, but they're going to come in legally. They are going to come in legally.
And it's something that can be done. They built The Great Wall of China. That's 13,000 miles. Here, we actually need 1,000, because we have natural barriers. We can do a wall.
We're going to have a big, fat beautiful door right in the middle of the wall. We are going to have people come in, but they are coming in legally. And Mexico is going to pay for the wall, because Mexico--I love the Mexican people,
I respect the Mexican leaders, but the leaders are much sharper, smarter and more cunning than our leaders. And people say, "Oh, how are you going to get Mexico to pay?" A politician cannot get them to pay. I can.
Source: GOP `Your Money/Your Vote` 2015 CNBC 1st-tier debate
, Oct 28, 2015
The border wall will be well-managed and built correctly
Q: How is a Mexican wall even feasible?TRUMP: I'm telling you, it's called management. You can do this and we can expedite the good immigrants to come back in. And everybody wants that. But they have to come in legally. We have
to be a country of laws and borders. We have wonderful Border Patrol people, but they're not allowed to do their job. I will get the best people to build this wall and we will do it properly and we will do it humanely and get the good ones back in.
Source: ABC This Week 2015 interviews of 2016 presidential hopefuls
, Aug 23, 2015
We need wall on Mexican border, but ok to have a door in it
Q: You say that the Mexican government is sending criminals--rapists, drug dealers--across the border. TRUMP: If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be talking about illegal immigration.
This was not a subject that was on anybody's mind until I brought it up at my announcement.
The fact is, since then, many killings, murders, crime, drugs are pouring across the border, our money going out and the drugs coming in. And I said we need to build a wall, and it has to be built quickly.
And I don't mind having a big beautiful door in that wall so that people can come into this country legally. But we need to build a wall, we need to keep illegals out.
Source: Fox News/Facebook Top Ten First Tier debate transcript
, Aug 6, 2015
Mexico & Latin America send us drugs, crime, and rapists
Mexico is beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they're killing us economically. The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems.When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best.
They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists.
And some, I assume, are good people. But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we're getting. And it only makes common sense. They're sending us not the right people.
It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and
Latin America, and it's coming probably--probably--from the Middle East. But we don't know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don't know what's happening. And it's got to stop and it's got to stop fast.
Source: 2015 announcement speeches of 2016 presidential hopefuls
, Jun 16, 2015
Build great wall on southern border; have Mexico pay for it
I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively,
I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.
Source: 2015 announcement speeches of 2016 presidential hopefuls
, Jun 16, 2015
Triple-layered fence & Predator drones on Mexican border
I am impressed with the success of the double- and triple-layered fence in places like Yuma, Arizona. The wall there is a serious 20-foot wall. It has three walls separated by 75-yard "no man's lands" for border agents to zoom up and down in vehicles.
It also has cameras, radio systems, radar, and pole-topped lights. After the triple-layered fence was installed, the 120-mile stretch of the US-Mexican border known as the Yuma sector experienced a 72 percent plunge in illegal immigrant apprehensions.
We need to be ready to build other kinds of fences, too. The point is that properly built walls work. We just need the political will to finish the job. And by the way, finishing the job will employ a lot of construction workers. Moreover, I call on
Congress and the president to hire another 25,000 border patrol agents and give them the aerial equipment they need, such as Predator drones, to provide real-time aerial reconnaissance information to agents guarding the border wall.
Source: Time to Get Tough, by Donald Trump, p.146-147
, Dec 5, 2011
Donald Trump on Visa Rules
Gold Card:$5 million citizenship for successful job creators
We have developed in great detail what we are calling the Gold Card, which goes on sale very, very soon. For $5 million we will allow the most successful job-creating people from all over the world to buy a path to U.S. citizenship. It's like the
green card, but better and more sophisticated. And these people will have to pay tax in our country. They won't have to pay tax from where they came, the money that they've made, you wouldn't want to do that. But they have to pay tax, create jobs.
Source: 2025 State of the Union address to Joint Session of Congress
, Mar 4, 2025
Begin Largest Deportation Program in American History
Begin Largest Deportation Program in American History: President Trump and Republicans will reverse the Democrats' destructive Open Borders Policies that have allowed criminal gangs and
Illegal Aliens from around the World to roam the United States without consequences. The Republican Party is committed to sending Illegal Aliens back home and removing those who have violated our Laws.
Source: 2024 GOP Platform: Make America Great Again!
, Jul 18, 2024
Illegal alien invasion: hordes resettled in your community
Over the past 3 years, Biden has actively aided and abetted the importation of millions and millions of illegal alien migrants and resettled them into your communities. At ANY TIME during the past 3 years, Crooked Joe Biden could have called off the
invasion--but to this day, he is keeping the hordes of illegal migrants and illegal aliens pouring into the country. By the time his term is up, we could have close to 20 million people in our country. We have no idea from where they come, we have no
idea who they are. They have no identification. Many come from mental institutions, many come from prisons, they're terrorists. The VERY FIRST BILL Joe Biden sent to Congress was a plan to turn illegal aliens into voting citizens.
That's just what we need. No matter what Crooked Joe says, his actions prove his priority is to import a colossal new illegal alien population and let them all stay--my priority is securing our border, and sending Crooked Joe's illegals back home.
Source: Trump Prebuttal to 2024 State of the Union address
, Mar 7, 2024
We're going to have the largest deportation in US history
It's not sustainable for our country. We have millions and millions of people here. It is not sustainable. Did you see in New York City with it getting the regular students out and they're putting migrants in their place?
We are going to have the largest deportation effort in the history of our country. We're bringing everybody back where they came from. We have no choice. We have no choice.
Source: Fox News Town Hall 2024 pre-Iowa caucus
, Jan 10, 2024
We want more people to come, via legal merit system
Q: What will you do for our immigration system to make more people can become citizens and vote?TRUMP: We are doing something with immigration that I think is going to be very strong because we want people to come into our country.
We want people to come into our country. We want them to come in--a lot of people--but we want them to come in through a legal system.
Through a system that they work to come into our country. A merit system and we're working on something very hard right now.
And in a very short time we're going to be announcing it. And I think it's going to have quite an impact. I think it's going to be something that actually will be popular for all.
Source: ABC This Week: special edition 2020 Town Hall interview
, Sep 15, 2020
Mother participated in chain migration in 1930
When Fred [Donald Trump's father] was 25 years old, he attended a dance where he met Mary Anne Mcleod, recently arrived from Scotland. According to family legend, he returned home, he told his mother that he met the girl he was going to marry. Mary
[Donald Trump's mother] had been the youngest of ten in 1912 in the Outer Hebrides, located 40 miles off the coast of Scotland. Mary, one of six daughters, was encouraged to journey to America, where the opportunities were greater , and the men more
plentiful.
In 1930, in a classic example of mass migration, Mary boarded the RMS Transylvania in order to join two of her sisters who had already settled in the US. Despite her status as a domestic servant, as a white Anglo-Saxon, Mary would have
been allowed into the country even under her son's new draconian immigration laws introduced nearly 90 years later. She turned 18 the day before her arrival in New York and met Fred not long after. Fred and Mary were married in 1936.
Source: Too Much and Never Enough, by Mary Trump, p. 30
, Jul 14, 2020
Why are we having people from sh--hole countries come here?
Graham began walking through the plan, which included the money Trump asked for on the border security. It was not enough, Trump said, condescendingly. Graham said he was sure they could do more but this is where they started.
And he mentioned 25,000 visas from mostly African countries. He turned to the visas in such places as Haiti and El Salvador because of Earthquakes, famine, and violence."Haitians,"
Trump said. "We don't need more Haitian's." At that and mentioned of immigrants from African countries. "Why are we having all these people from sh--hole countries come here?"
He had just met with the Prime Minister from Norway. Why not more Norwegians? Or Asians who could help the economy.
Source: Fear: Trump in the White House, by Bob Woodward, p.320
, Sep 10, 2019
Refugees can't come in; sorry, we're full
With his recent speech before the Republican Jewish Coalition, Trump insinuated that American Jews have dual loyalties, specifically when he referred to Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu as "your prime minister." Yet even more offensive was
Trump's xenophobic rhetoric on immigration, uttered before an audience of Jews, an ethnic group that was victimized by immigration xenophobia during the Holocaust.
Specifically, in referring to refugees seeking asylum in America from political persecution in their native lands, Trump stated, "You can't come in. Our country is full. What can we do? We can't handle any more. Our country's full. You can't come in,
I'm sorry."
These were literally the exact words antisemitic public officials used to justify America denying entry to European Jews fleeing Nazi extermination during the Holocaust.
Source: InsiderNJ.com on 2020 presidential hopefuls
, Apr 9, 2019
Reject U.N.'s Global Compact on Migration
The U.S. is working with partners in Latin America to confront threats to sovereignty from uncontrolled migration. Illegal immigration funds criminal networks, ruthless gangs, and the flow of deadly drugs. Illegal immigration has produced a vicious cycle
of crime, violence, & poverty. Only by upholding national borders, destroying criminal gangs, can we break this cycle and establish a real foundation for prosperity.We recognize the right of every nation in this room to set its own immigration policy
in accordance with its national interests, just as we ask other countries to respect our own right to do the same -- which we are doing. That is one reason the United States will not participate in the new Global Compact on Migration. Migration
should not be governed by an international body unaccountable to our own citizens.
Ultimately, the only long-term solution to the migration crisis is to help people build more hopeful futures in their home countries. Make their countries great again.
Source: Pres.Trump Remarks to the 73rd Session of the United Nations
, Sep 25, 2018
Replace visa lottery with merit-based system
TRUMP: [My immigration package] ends the visa lottery--a program that randomly hands out green cards without any regard for skill, merit, or the safety of our people. It is time to begin moving towards a merit-based immigration system--one that admits
people who are skilled, who want to work, who will contribute to our society, and who will love and respect our country.Christian Science Monitor explanation:The president & his supporters appear to be defining merit as highly skilled,
well-educated immigrants who speak English and can support themselves. But what about strawberry pickers? Those jobs are commonly performed by low-skilled immigrants. The administration points to countries such as Canada and Australia that have supply-
oriented policies. These countries have long used point systems to qualify applicants, assigning them points for education, working age, employment, language, & other skills that determine their likelihood of assimilation and contribution to the economy.
Source: Christian Science Monitor on 2018 State of the Union address
, Jan 30, 2018
Fact-check: End chain migration? It can't actually happen
[My immigration plan] protects the nuclear family by ending chain migration. Under the current broken system, a single immigrant can bring in virtually unlimited numbers of distant relatives. Under our plan, we focus on the immediate family by limiting
sponsorships to spouses and minor children. Politico.com Fact-Check: Family reunification has been the basis for immigration since 1965. Under this law, if you marry that guy you met while working in Shanghai, you can bring him home.
And his 2-year-old. And when you'd like his parents to help with child care, you can bring them in too, after a few years. If we had a family immigration system without limits, this structure could theoretically lead to the dreaded chain migration. That
Chinese spouse can petition for his sister, and her family, and so on. But the immigration system's waiting lists make chain migration a theory that doesn't really happen in practice. This is because each link in the chain takes years to complete. \
Source: Politico.com FactCheck on 2018 State of the Union address
, Jan 26, 2018
H-1B visas help high-tech industry; we'll figure it out
On December 14, a high-level delegation from Silicon Valley came to Trump Tower to meet the president-elect, though Trump had repeatedly criticized the tech industry throughout the campaign. Later that afternoon, Trump called Rupert Murdoch,
who asked him how the meeting had gone. "Oh, great, just great," said Trump. "Really, really good. These guys really need my help. Obama was not very favorable to them, too much regulation. This is really an opportunity for me to help them."
"Donald," said Murdoch, "for eight years these guys had Obama in their pocket. They practically ran the administration. They don't need your help."
"Take this H-1B visa issue. They really need these H-1B visas."
Murdoch suggested that taking a liberal approach to H-1B visas might be hard to square with his immigration promises. But Trump seemed unconcerned, assuring Murdoch, "We'll figure it out."
Source: Fire and Fury, by Michael Wolff, p. 36
, Jan 5, 2018
Revamp guest-worker program, even those used in Trump hotels
Administration officials said Trump will direct the Departments of Labor, Justice, State, and Homeland Security to crack down on fraud and abuse in guest-worker programs by issuing new immigration rules. White House officials singled out the
H-1B visa for "high-skilled" foreigners in the science and engineering industries as the priority for reform, but said a comprehensive review could lead to changes in other guest worker programs, including visas Trump's own company uses for foreign
workers at his hotels, golf courses and vineyard.
The officials said reform could first come through administrative changes, such as raising the visa application fees, adjusting the wage scale to more accurately reflect prevailing salaries in the tech
industry, and more vigorously enforcing violations. It could also change the lottery system to give foreigners with U.S. master's degrees a leg up. The current worker visa program has been diluted as rules have gone unenforced, the officials said.
Source: Washington Post on Trump Administration promises
, Apr 17, 2017
Merit-based immigration system instead of lower skills
Protecting our workers means reforming our system of legal immigration. The current, outdated system depresses wages for our poorest workers, & puts great pressure on taxpayers.Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others--have a
merit-based immigration system. It is a basic principle that those seeking to enter a country ought to be able to support themselves financially. Yet, in America, we do not enforce this rule, straining the very public resources that our poorest citizens
rely upon.
Switching away from this current system of lower-skilled immigration, and instead adopting a merit-based system, will have many benefits: it will save countless dollars, raise workers' wages, & help struggling families--including immigrant
families--enter the middle class.
I believe that real & positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals: to improve jobs & wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation's security, & to restore respect for our laws.
Source: 2017 State of the Union address to Congress
, Feb 28, 2017
Let college grads stay but H-1B only if jobs can't be filled
Q: Would you support any changes in immigration policy regarding scientists and engineers who receive their graduate degree at an American university? TRUMP: The issues brought up in your question are exactly what we should be addressing in
immigration reform. If we allow individuals in this country legally to get their educations, we should let them stay if they want to contribute to our economy. It makes no sense to kick them out of the country right after they achieve such extraordinary
goals.
Q: What is your opinion of recent controversy over employment and the H1-B Visa program?
TRUMP: We cannot allow companies to abuse this system. When we have American citizens and those living in the
United States legally being pushed out of high paying jobs so that they can be replaced with "cheaper" labor, something is wrong. The H1-B system should be employed only when jobs cannot be filled with qualified Americans and legal residents.
Source: ScienceDebate.org: 20 questions for 2016 presidential race
, Oct 9, 2016
I take advantage of H-1B visas; but stop them
Q: Your critics say your campaign platform is inconsistent with how you run your businesses, noting that you've brought in foreign workers instead of hiring Americans. Why should voters trust that you will run the country differently from how you run
your businesses?TRUMP: Because nobody knows the system better than me. I know the H-1B. I know the H-2B. Nobody knows it better than me. I'm a businessman. These are laws. These are rules. We're allowed to do it. So I will take advantage of it;
they're the laws. But I'm the one that knows how to change it.
Q: So what would you do with H-1B visas?
TRUMP: It's something that I frankly use and I shouldn't be allowed to use it. We shouldn't have it. Very, very bad for workers. And second of
all, I think it's very important to say, well, I'm a businessman and I have to do what I have to do. When it's sitting there waiting for you, but it's very bad. It's very bad for our workers and it's unfair for our workers. And we should end it.
Source: 2016 GOP primary debate in Miami
, Mar 10, 2016
Let the good ones come back in; that's not amnesty
CRUZ: The people that get forgotten in this debate over immigration are the hardworking men and women of this country, millions of Americans who are losing their jobs. We have always welcomed legal immigrants, but
I think it is a mistake to forgive those who break the law to allow them to become U.S. citizens, and that's why I've led the fight against granting citizenship to those here illegally.
TRUMP: We have at least 11 million people that came in illegally. They will go out. Some will come back, the best, through a process.
They have to come back legally. It may not be a quick process, but I think that's fair. They're going to get in line with other people.
Source: 2016 CNN-Telemundo Republican debate on eve of Texas primary
, Feb 25, 2016
No apology for banning Muslims from entering America
Q: Your comments about banning Muslims from entering the country created a firestorm. Is there anything you've heard that makes you want to rethink this position?TRUMP: No. (APPLAUSE) Look, we have to stop with political correctness. We have to get
down to creating a country that's not going to have the kind of problems that we've had with people flying planes into the World Trade Centers, with the shootings in California, with all the problems all over the world.
We have to find out what's going on [with Muslim immigrants]. I said temporarily. I didn't say permanently. And I have many great Muslim friends. And some of them, I will say, not all, have called me and said, "Donald, thank
you very much; you're exposing an unbelievable problem and we have to get to the bottom of it." We have a serious problem. And we can't be the stupid country any more. We're laughed at all over the world.
Source: Fox Business 2016 Republican 2-tier debate
, Jan 14, 2016
It's not fear of terrorist refugees; it's reality
It's not fear and terror, it's reality. When I look at the migration, I looked at the line, I said, where are the women? It looked like very few women.
Very few children. Strong, powerful men, and people are looking at that and they're saying what's going on? We can't let people come into our country and break our borders.
Source: Fox Business Republican 2-tier debate
, Jan 14, 2016
Need to keep database of Muslim refugees
Q: You did stir up a controversy with those comments about a database for all US Muslims--but are you now unequivocally now ruling out a database on all Muslims?
TRUMP: No, not at all. I want a database for the refugees that come into the country. We have no idea who these people are.
When the Syrian refugees are going to start pouring into this country, we don't know if they're ISIS, we don't know if it's a Trojan horse.
And I definitely want a database and other checks and balances.
We want to go with watchlists.
Q: Just for the record, though, the statistics do show the majority of the refugees coming in are women and children.
Source: ABC This Week 2015 interview on Syrian Refugee crisis
, Nov 22, 2015
Invite foreigners graduating from college to stay in US
Our country's leaders are just so plan stupid. As an example, foreign students come over to our colleges, learn everything there is to learn about physics, finance, mathematics, and computers, and graduate with honors. They would love to stay in this
country, but we don't allow them to. We immediately ship them back to their country to use all of the knowledge they learned at the best colleges in the United States back in their country rather than keep it here in ours.
When we have gifted people in this country we should cherish them and let them stay. But instead we fling our arms wide open to the lowlifes, the criminals, the people who have no intention to contribute to our country.
Wouldn't it be better if we
invited foreign student graduating from our colleges to stay to build American companies, instead of foreign companies that will be wreaking havoc against Boeing, Caterpillar, and many other of our great American companies in the future?
Source: Time to Get Tough, by Donald Trump, p.145
, Dec 5, 2011
Limit new immigration; focus on people already here
Trump was firm concerning restrictions in immigration. “I’m opposed to new people coming in,” he said. “We have to take care of the people who are here.”
Source: nytimes.com/library/politics
, Dec 10, 1999
Supports additional border infrastructure.
Trump supports the CC survey question on Border Infrastructure
The Christian Coalition Voter Guide inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Increase Border Security Including Additional Infrastructures'
The Christian Coalition notes, `You can help make sure that voters have the facts BEFORE they cast their votes. We have surveyed candidates in the most competitive congressional races on the issues that are important to conservatives, but now we need you..."
Source: Christian Coalition Survey 16_CC12 on Nov 8, 2016
Vetoed ending national emergency at the Southern border.
Trump voted NAY Joint Resolution on Proclamation 9844
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives: That the national emergency declared by the finding of the President on February 15, 2019, in Proclamation 9844 is hereby terminated.
Proclamation 9844 issued by the president on Feb. 15, 2019: Declares a state of national emergency at the southern border to address the issues of illegal immigration and criminal trafficking into the US: `The current situation at the southern border presents a border security and humanitarian crisis that threatens core national security interests and constitutes a national emergency. The southern border is a major entry point for criminals, gang members, and illicit narcotics. The problem of large-scale unlawful migration through the southern border is long-standing, and despite the executive branch`s exercise of existing statutory authorities, the situation has worsened in certain respects in recent years. Because of the gravity of the current emergency situation,
it is necessary for the Armed Forces to provide additional support to address the crisis.`
Opposing the Proclamation (supporting the Resolution), ACLU press release, 2/15/2019 The ACLU issued the following statement upon filing a lawsuit: `By the president`s very own admission in the Rose Garden, there is no national emergency. He just grew impatient and frustrated with Congress, and decided to move along his promise for a border wall `faster.` This is a patently illegal power grab that hurts American communities and flouts the checks and balances that are hallmarks of our democracy.`
Legislative outcome Passed House 245-182-5 roll #94 on Feb. 26; pass Senate 59-41 roll #49 on March 14; Vetoed by Pres. Trump; veto override failed, 248-181-3 (2/3 required), roll #127 on March 26
Source: Congressional vote 19-HJR46 on Feb 26, 2019
Page last updated: Jun 01, 2025; copyright 1999-2022 Jesse Gordon and OnTheIssues.org
