Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump argued that 2012 GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s self-deportation policy is “mean-spirited” on Thursday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel.
“People will have to go out, they are illegal immigrants, they came in illegally, they have to go out, and they have to come back legally. Bret, there will be a deportation, and hopefully they’ll be able to come back into the country.”
Trump was asked about his comments in 2012 that Mitt Romney’s self-deportation policy was “mean-spirited” and “crazy.” He responded, “I said it was crazy, because it doesn’t work. He was talking about people are just going to walk out of the country. … I criticized it because it’s something that doesn’t work. Yeah, it’s mean-spirited, it’s mean-spirited — this doesn’t work at all, Bret. this would never have worked. Look, I want people to go out and they have to come in through the legal process.”
He added that his plan isn’t “mean-spirited” and that after illegal immigrants are deported, they “can come back in, but they have to come in through a legal process.”
When asked, “do you think legal immigration should be restricted further?” Trump responded, “I think that legal immigration’s a good thing. If they come in legally, they go through a process, and if they come in legally, I think that’s a good thing, Bret.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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