Donald Trump's clueless immigration plan

By Raul A. Reyes
Updated 7:58 AM ET, Tue August 18, 2015

6 photos: Donald Trump: His own words

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Raul Reyes: Donald Trump's immigration plan isn't workable and would damage the economy
Plan to deport undocumented immigrants, end birthright citizenship is callous, divisive, he says
Editor's Note: Raul A. Reyes is an attorney and member of the USA Today board of contributors. Follow him on
Twitter @RaulAReyes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN)They have got to go. That about sums up the immigration ideas laid out by Donald Trump on Sunday's
"Meet the Press," and in an accompanying 1,900-word policy paper. After making opposition to illegal immigration a
cornerstone of his circus-like presidential campaign, The Donald has finally ventured into specifics with an
immigration policy plan centered on increased border security and immigration enforcement.
While it is a good sign that Trump has ventured into actual policy proposals, his ideas are impractical at best and at
worst inhumane. His ideas veer far to the right of the American mainstream. Far from stabilizing our economy, his
plans could well stunt our economic growth.

Raul Reyes
Consider: Trump wants to build a wall all across our southern border with Mexico. To those for whom fighting illegal
immigration is a top priority, this might sound like a smart, common-sense plan. But this line of thinking ignores
reality. The border is more secure than it has been in years; an analysis this year by The Washington Post found that
illegal crossings along the Mexican border were at their lowest level in two decades.
CNN Interactive: 2016 election candidates
Meanwhile, our country's population of undocumented immigrants has dropped by about 1 million over the last
several years, according to the Pew Research Center. We don't need that wall; what we do need is smarter
immigration enforcement.
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cplemert50 Sep 3, 2015

Crissy wants to tag them,I say just hire Fedex to ship the illegals back to there home of origin ,the ship world wide
at reasonable rates. They can move them faster than ICE and the Border Patrol can bring them in.Bonuses to
who ever stayed ahead of the others.Impossible? I think not.
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Roger Smith Sep 1, 2015

Tighten up your headbands, your cranium is about to explode..hit the link.

http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/083115-768970-more-than-half-support-mandatory-deportation-ofillegal-immigrants-poll-nds.htm#ixzz3kRGqrtOT

Where did Reyes get HIS info from? And why does he twist it in such a manner to try to make it look like Trump is
a fool when the MAJORITY of Americans want the border secured, and at LEAST the worst of the ILLEGALS
GONE!!??

Plus, two ILLEGALS having a kid on American soil, does not make an AMERICAN BABY! Where is the logic in
that?

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Richard Friedman Aug 28, 2015

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Trump is only interested in ONE thing, Donald Trump. PT Barnum was right, LOL.
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vaali Aug 23, 2015

I am a "documented American" and I know how long the process to become a U.S citizen is. If you entered this
country without valid papers, regardless of how long you have been here raising families and paying taxes etc.
you are still an illegal immigrant. You and your children may be "Americanized" but that does not erase the fact
that you came here illegally. There is lot of fairness in this country and is very unique as well when compared to all
the other developed nations. I understand that it is not practical to send all the undocumented immigrants to their
origins. This has to be done on a case by case basis and all illegals should be allowed to come to the open and
careful scrutiny of their lives and families is to be done. If there are felons they get deported right away. If they are
here illegally and living somehow on welfare or on their social network support they should be given the option of
going back home or remain here after gainful employment. Others who are useful members of the U.S population
should be allowed to stay legally. But on any account they should not be given U.S citizenship,the price they have
to pay for coming in illegally.
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tucsontom Aug 23, 2015

@vaali Correct, but the children born here are already citizens and the ones brought here when they
were children should be scrutinized but have a clear path to being here legally or even citizenship (they
didn't decide to come here illegally, their parents did).
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mduk Aug 22, 2015

Why can't liberals handle reality and the truth?

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William Kellogg Aug 22, 2015

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"It reflects an enormous ignorance for what Mexico represents, and also the irresponsibility of the candidate who's
saying it." What exactly is it that Mexico represents? Corruption? Poverty? Government executions? The refusal
to acknowledge any responsibility or take any action for what it's citizens are doing to this countries public
infrastructure, all the while being supported by it's economy? Anybody..?
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Delfina Bazor Aug 21, 2015

Feel Mr. Trump will lose the legal Mexican American vote here in the U. S. A. This may lose him the election due
to Hispanics will stand united whether legal or illegal, and the Hispanic vote can be significant in an election.
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Ken Meyer Aug 22, 2015

@Delna Bazor
So, should we as a nation simply surrender to the Hispanics because of what THEY want instead of
what the nation as a whole wants? And should we make a mockery of the laws of the land simply
because Hispanics "will stand united whether legal or illegal?
I'm not seeing it. Frankly, I think this country has to stand up to defend its laws - and territory - whether
Hispanics generally agree with that policy or not.

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mduk Aug 22, 2015

@Ken Meyer @Delna Bazor The majority of Americans don't care about illegal activity. More so
many want to pander to the criminals and go as far as protesting when criminals are brought to
justice.
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