The stance that each candidate holds on immigration policy is amongst the most frequently discussed topics by American voters regarding the Presidential campaign. The media highlights clips that makes their future policies seem as clear as day: Trump wants a wall with all illegals out, Clinton wants to personally send invitations to invite more immigrants in. Although the media creates the idea that the two candidates are firm in what is one of the most polarizing and defining policy positions, rhetoric throughout their campaigns suggests inconsistencies on both ends.
As we all know, Hillary Clinton is far more “qualified” than Trump is when it comes to politics. However, what comes along with the many years of her political participation? That’s right, a political history that is waiting to be delved into. Clinton’s current immigration stance is to defend President Obama’s executive actions to get illegals on track to becoming full and equal citizens. This, however, is very different from her stance in 2003 when she said, “We’ve got to do several things and I am, you know, adamantly against illegal immigrants” during a radio interview.
America understood Trump very clearly when he targeted Mexican immigrants as rapists, drug lords, criminals, and “some” good people during his June 16th announcement speech. His solution to the illegal, undocumented immigrant epidemic- to round them all up and send them back to their home countries and build a wall to keep them out. His plan of employing a strategy of mass removal of every one of the 11 million immigrants within The U.S., while radical, garnered majority of Trump’s supporters alone.
Recently, Trump has reportedly become ‘more soft’ on his immigration policies that he once felt so strongly about. Although he insists that he still has full intentions to build a concrete wall that will be funded by Mexico in order to keep illegal immigrants out, he no longer seems to be so focused on getting the “good” illegal immigrants that are currently within The U.S. borders out. In a recent interview, Trump told Sean Hannity that the good, undocumented immigrants would, “have to pay back taxes” and would not be given any amnesty however he intends to work with them.
Although the two candidate’s have completely opposite ideas of immigration reform, they seem to have one thing in common: change. As the clock continues to tick and the Election Day approaches, it seems that the two candidates will say whatever is necessary to bait in those final votes. It will truly be surprise to us all to see what type of immigration reform will be enacted when either of the two comes into office.