When Trump tells the media and America that he is going to give a major policy speech, listeners will be more confused when he finishes. Trump is neither qualified nor psychologically competent to exercise the duties and responsibilities of commander in chief, which requires a credible level of intelligence and integrity.
Before Trump shouted for more than an hour about how he was going to build a wall along the Mexican border, which is a terrible idea, and vowed that Mexicans are going to pay for the wall, he flew to Mexico. In Mexico, Trump embarrassed himself and America by telling reporters that he and the Mexican president, Enrique Pena Nieto, had not discussed who was paying for the wall.
Approximately two hours after Trump left Mexico, Nieto stated in a tweet, and a media statement that he had, in fact, discussed payment of the wall at the beginning of the meeting. The Mexican President unequivocally stated at the beginning of the meeting with Trump that Mexico was not going to pay for the wall. Based on facts, in the past two years, more Mexicans are leaving than entering the U.S. Building a wall would be a waste of American taxpayers’ money.
In Trump’s major 10-point immigration speech in Phoenix, most of what he said was even more confusing. “This wasn’t really a policy speech, its red meat wrapped around expansions,” said Maggie Haberman, a New York Times reporter. “Yet the pivot—and yes, I hate that word—has been inconsistent because Trump couldn’t figure out what he wanted to say”
Some reporters are saying Trump hardened his position with his speech, and others are saying he softened his position. Who really knows? They are both right.
But, the next day, some of Trump’s Hispanic advisers resigned from his campaign team, which means he is not expanding his base. This display was classic incoherent Trump, whose fabricated facts are designed to appeal to the emotions of his base.
After Trump discussed his 10-point plan, there was still no definitive plan for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. This large group includes undocumented parents of “Dreamers,” who are U.S. citizens.
Will Trump create an immigration task force to deport undocumented immigrants? And, maybe anyone who came to the country illegally will have to leave, and reapply for legal status. With Trump’s immigration policy, families would be split up, and the undocumented immigrants would be forced to wait for an indefinite period of time until they could possibly rejoin their families.
After Trump shouted for more than an hour during his speech, nothing changed and nothing new was presented. He vowed to go after 2 million undocumented criminals, but since President Obama came into office in 2009, he has deported more undocumented immigrants and criminals (2.5 million) than any U.S. president before him, and has doubled the number of agents on the southern border, which consists of 700 miles of barriers or fencing
Trump has labeled undocumented immigrants as criminals, drug dealers and rapists to scare Americans. But, there has been a dramatic demographic shift since 2005 of immigrants from Asia, India and Africa, who are now becoming the dominant source of newcomers to the U.S. Many of these new immigrants have visas as high-skilled workers, and they arrive legally with college degrees.
To create a comprehensive immigration policy, Trump would have to conduct an intellectual study based on facts, and his numbers should indicate a steep decline in Mexican immigration. He also would find that undocumented immigrants commit crimes at lower rate than Americans.
Trump is too busy shouting and giving out fictitious numbers about immigration rather than understanding the global implications of high-skilled workers who arrive from China, India and Africa. A well thought out comprehensive policy for immigration is needed that makes sense on a global level, and it takes much more than building a wall that Mexico says they are not paying for.