U.S. President Donald Trump said he wants to give money and an airplane ticket to any immigrant who is in the country illegally who chooses to “self-deport,” and work to get those who are “good” back in the U.S., a break from his usual hardline immigration rhetoric.
Trump, who campaigned on a pledge to carry out mass deportations, said in a taped interview with Fox Noticias that aired Tuesday that his administration is focused right now on getting “murderers” out of the country. But for others in the U.S. illegally, he said, he’s going to implement “a self-deportation program.”
Trump offered few details about the plan, including timing, but said the U.S. would provide immigrants airfare and a stipend.
“We’re going to give them a stipend. We’re going to give them some money and a plane ticket, and then we’re going to work with them — if they’re good — if we want them back in, we’re going to work with them to get them back in as quickly as we can,” Trump said.
Fox Noticias interviewer Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is married to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, played Trump a clip of a Mexican man who she said arrived in the U.S. illegally more than 20 years ago and has children who are American citizens.
It is not clear if the man now has legal permission to be in the country, but Campos-Duffy said the man said that even though he cannot vote, he would have supported Trump. She played a clip of the man saying he agrees that if someone commits a crime, they should be returned to their countries — including himself.
“I look at this man. I say, this is a guy that we want to keep,” Trump replied. “I’ll probably take heat for saying it.”
He then asked if the man was supposed to be deported and answered his own question: “No, he didn’t say that. Good.”
“I don’t think he’s in any danger of it,” Trump said.
The Republican president also said wants to help hotels and farms get the workers they need and recommend people to fill needed positions.
He said that would be “very soothing” to farmers and said he ultimately wants workers who are in the U.S. illegally to leave and come back with legal permission, but he did not outline any steps to do that.
“We’re doing a self-deportation and we’re going to make it comfortable for people,” he said. “And we’re going to work with those people to come back into our country legally.”
Fox Noticias said the interview with Trump was taped Monday.
Associated Press writer Will Weissert contributed to this report.
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