Trump, the frontrunner in a crowded Republican field, has made
immigration a central plank of his campaign. On NBC's "Meet the
Press," he said he would deport all undocumented immigrants and
rescind U.S. President Barack Obama's executive orders on
immigration.
The orders, if enacted, could protect as many as 5 million
undocumented immigrants from deportation.
In a policy paper issued on Sunday, Trump said he would increase
fees on temporary visas for Mexican chief executives, diplomats and
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) workers if Mexico does
not agree to pay for the wall.
The NAFTA agreement of 1994 eliminated most tariff and other
barriers to free trade and investment between the United States,
Canada and Mexico. It permits the temporary cross-border movement of
business travelers within the region.
Trump said he would also impound all remittance payments derived
from illegal wages and increase fees at ports of entry from Mexico.
Foreign aid cuts and tariffs would also be considered.
"The Mexican government has taken the United States to the
cleaners," he said. "They are responsible for this problem, and they
must help pay to clean it up."
Mexico's foreign ministry declined to comment directly on Trump's
proposals but said in an emailed statement that Mexicans make a
significant contribution to the United States economy, and that net
migration between the two countries reached zero in 2012.
Trump began his campaign in June by saying Mexico is sending its
criminals and rapists to the U.S. The comment sparked outrage from
Hispanic civil rights groups and others.
In his new position paper, Trump said he would triple the number of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers and pay for the
increase by eliminating tax credit payments to illegal immigrants.
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He would also increase penalties for people who overstay their visas
and end the policy of giving automatic citizenship to the children
of illegal immigrants.
Applicants seeking to enter the U.S. would have to certify that they
could pay for their own housing, healthcare and other needs, he
said, and he would raise the bar for the admission of refugees and
asylum-seekers.
Trump said he would also place the issuing of green cards to foreign
workers on pause so employers would have to hire from the domestic
pool of unemployed workers.
"This will help reverse women's plummeting workplace participation
rate, grow wages, and allow record immigration levels to subside to
more moderate historical averages," he said.
The presidential election will be held in 2016.
(Reporting by Toni Clarke in Washington, additional reporting by
Christine Murray in Mexico City, editing by Larry King and Eric
Walsh)
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