Fact-Check: Tim Kaine Is Wrong; Trump Vowed to Deport ‘Criminal Aliens’ on ‘Day One’

While responding to a question about immigration enforcement Tuesday at the vice-presidential debate, Virginia Senator Tim Kaine said, “when Donald Trump spoke in Phoenix, he looked the audience in the eye and said ‘No, we’re building and we’re deporting everybody.’ He said, quote, ‘They will all be gone.'” 

This is absolutely false.

Indeed, during Donald Trump’s immigration policy on Wednesday August 31 in Phoenix, the Republican presidential nominee promised the audience that on “day one” the “2 million riminal aliens now inside of our country” are “gone.”

Trump said his administration will have “zero tolerance for criminal aliens.”

The portion of Trump’s immigration speech where he talks about deporting illegal aliens can be found below:

According to federal data, there are at least 2 million, 2 million, think of it, criminal aliens now inside of our country, 2 million people criminal aliens. We will begin moving them out day one. As soon as I take office. Day one. In joint operation with local, state, and federal law enforcement.